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A Pair of Blankets 



WAR-TIME HISTORY IN LETTERS TO 
THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH 



BY 

WILLIAM H. STEWART 




BROADWAY PUBLISHING CO. 

835 Broadway 
NEW YORK 






Copyright, 191 i. 

By 

William H. Stewart. 



©CI.A300943 



I inscribe these Memoirs, entitled *'A Pair of 
Blankets," to my Nephews, Charles A. Stewart, Jr.; 
Robert E. B. Stewart, Jr.; Henry E. Stewart, Wm. 
Moseley Stewart, and Robert T. Stewart, and through 
them to the young people of the South. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Number i — Introduction to my Story 9 

2 — My First Military Service 13 

3 — The Tale of the Blankets , 19 

4 — The Tale of the Blankets, continued 22 

5 — The Battle of Sewell's Point 25 

6 — Denby's Church and Disbandment. 31 

7 — At the Masked Battery. , 33 

8— My First Fight 39 

9 — The Duel of the Iron-Clads. . . . . . 43 

10 — The ** Virginia" Victorious 47 

II — The "Virginia's" Second Challenge 51 

12— The "Virginia's" Third Challenge. 55 

13 — ^The Dimensions of the "Virginia" 60 
14 — The Evacuation and Fight at Point 

of Rocks . . ., , 63 

15 — In Mahone's Brigade. ., 66 

16 — Winter Quarters and December 

Battle , 70 

17— The Gold Mine Camp 78 

18— McCarty's Farm Fight ,. 81 

19 — Stonewall Jackson's Guns 84 

20 — Salem Church Battle 87 

21 — Marching to the Invasion 90 

22 — In the Enemy's Country 92 

23 — Marching on to Gettysburg 96 

7 



Contents 



PAGE 

Number 24 — The Charge on Cemetery Heights. 98 

" 25 — ^John Bowie Magruder 102 

" 26 — After Pickett's Charge. no 

" 2*^ — In Virginia Again , 116 

" 28 — Bristoe Station 119 

" 29 — Mine Run and Madison Run 122 

" 30 — The Wilderness ,.. 126 

" 31 — The Spottsylvania Battle 129 

" 32 — Marching and Fighting 134 

" 33 — Second Cold Harbor.., 138 

" 34 — Marching Back to Petersburg 143 

" 35— The Battle of Jerusalem Plank 

Road 147 

" 36 — The Charge of the Crater 151 

" 2^^ — Scenes after the Battle 163 

38— The Battle of Weldon Railroad... 167 

39 — William Curtis Wallace. 176 

40 — Reams Station Battle 179 

41— The Battle of Burgess Mill 182 

42 — Fighting and Fasting 185 

43 — The Hardships of Hatcher's Run. . 189 

44 — Our Last Victory and Last March 196 

45 — Love of Lee. .^. 211 



8 



PREFACE. 

I have written ^'A Pair of Blankets" in response 
to the request of some young people desiring to 
hear accounts of battles from a soldier who had served 
in the field, and if possible, to aid in interesting our 
people in preserving the history of the Confederate 
War. 

From Colonial days to the present the South has 
been equal to any section of our country in patriotism 
and chivalry; but has not preserved her history and 
landmarks in a way to be truly represented before the 
world. 

I hope our people have learned from experience to 
be jealous of the South's history as other sections are 
of theirs, so as to preserve her records as a most 
valuable legacy for future generations, and to help 
foster this spirit, I have ventured this work. 

W. H. S. 



A Pair of Blankets. 

LETTER NO. i. 
introduction to my story. 

My Dear Nephews: 

I am writing you something about my life as a 
soldier, thinking you may be interested in what oc- 
curred during one of the greatest wars which ever 
happened in the world, and I am going to name my 
story A Pair of Blankets, for the pair under which 
I slept during four years or more. 

When I joined the army, I thought I would get a 
great deal of fun out of war. I believed that I would 
be high up in the firmament of greatness if I could 
be a son of Mars. I was greatly afraid the contest 
would end before I could get in a real battle. I soon 
found out that a soldier had a hard and dangerous 
time. I hope you will never have to be a soldier and 
go through the sufferings and dangers I did during 
my four years' service in the Confederate army. I 
was an officer, too, and did not have to endure as 
much as the privates who experienced every hard- 
ship. 

When this country was discovered by white men, 
you know, it was inhabited by red men. The first 



a pait of IBlmkm 



English settlement was at Jamestown in Virginia in 
1607, and the next at Plymouth Rock in Massachu- 
setts, where the Pilgrims landed on the 226. day of 
December, 1620. From these two settlements grew 
thirteen British colonies. The emigrants bought or 
took by force the lands from the Indians. They were 
often most unjust to the red men and that made the 
hatred between them extremely bitter. 

When these colonies had grown quite large, the 
British government taxed them without allowing them 
representation in the parliament which made the tax 
laws. 

A bitter controversy took place and war was de- 
clared between the mother country and her colonies. 
General George Washington was the commander-in- 
chief of the colonial army. After a war lasting seven 
years the colonies were successful. The fact that 
Great Britain was fighting France at the same time, 
made independence possible; for the colonies could 
not have won, had all the strength of the mother 
country been concentrated against them. 

On the 23d day of September, 1783, Great Britain 
acknowledged the independence of each colony as a 
separate sovereign state. There were thirteen at that 
time, and they afterwards formed a union to be called 
the United States of America. 

George Washington was the first president of the 
republic. Thomas Jefferson was the third president. 
He bought from Napoleon Bonaparte, the vast ter- 
ritory over the Mississippi river, which made many 
more states ; then by the war with Mexico, from April, 
1846, to May 30th, 1848, this country got a large ter- 

10 



a pair of IBlmkm 



ritory for more states. The Southern States con- 
tended for State Rights, that is, that the State had a 
right to govern its own affairs without the interposi- 
tion of the general government, except so far as the 
States had given by the Constitution, and they there- 
fore contended for the right of their citizens to carry 
their property in slaves into the territories, which were 
by all the rules of justice and equity common prop- 
erty; but an abolition party had sprung up in the 
North and West which denied these rights of the 
South. 

The hatred of this party was so bitter towards the 
South, that it denounced the Constitution of the 
United States, and did not hesitate to violate it, be- 
cause it said slavery was morally wrong and the con- 
stitution upheld it. Away back in 1619, a Dutch ves- 
sel brought twenty Africans to Jamestown and sold 
them to the colonists ; after this a lively trade sprung 
up between the coast of Africa and this country, and 
many vessels, principally owned in the North, were en- 
gaged in bringing black savages from Africa and 
selling them as slaves, until after awhile, slavery ex- 
isted in every colony and afterwards in every state. 
This kind of property was not profitable in the cold 
North, so the slave owners sold out to the Southern 
people, and after they got their money, they wanted 
to take the slaves away from the South without pay- 
ing for them., which they finally did through the 
perfidy of Lincoln. When he was inaugurated presi- 
dent, he said he had no lawful right to interfere with 
slavery in the States and had no inclination to do so; 
yet before two years had passed, he issued a proclam- 

II 



a Pait of TBlmkm 



ation declaring them free. He not only committed 
this act of gross injustice, but he allowed the war 
against the South to be conducted in a most inhuman 
and uncivilized manner. The son of the author of 
Uncle Tom's Cabin in an address on the looth anni- 
versary of her birth, said : 'This much must be con- 
ceded that the Northern States were just as much 
responsible for the existence of slavery as were the 
Southern states, and that slavery ceased to exist in 
the Northern states, because it was for them an 
economic failure, and it grew stronger in the Southern 
states after the invention of Eli Whitney's cotton 
gin, simply because it was enormously profitable, and 
property and slaves correspondingly valuable." 
* * * *'Now as slaves were property according to 
law, any attack upon this form of property was an 
attack indirectly upon all forms of property, and an 
attack also upon the Constitution of the United 
States." This concession condemns the emancipation 
proclamation stronger than any language I might em- 
ploy. 

The black people were much better off as slaves in 
the South than they were in Africa living in the 
woods without clothes and feeding on nuts like 
monkeys and squirrels. 

They were contented and happy on the Southern 
Plantations, where they were made to labor in the 
fields and given comfortable clothes and good food. 
While they were not taught in schools they were 
brought up under religious influence and rapidly be- 
came true Christians. I remember when they had 
revivals; and such good times they would have in 

12 



a pair of TSlankm 



getting happy and shouting ! The mourners were in- 
tensely enthusiastic. My father owned "Aunt Eun- 
ice," who would dress up in her best frock to go to 
meeting, but would always take along her old dress 
to put on, when she got happy and shouted. The 
slaves were generally good and kind people, much 
better than their free descendants of this day. Some 
had bad masters who ill-treated them, but not more 
than bad husbands in abolition families who treated 
their wives cruelly. During all the time of our great 
war the slaves on the plantations were faithful to the 
families of their masters, who were serving in the 
army. We owe these great respect and gratitude, 
for their conduct was guided by a Christian spirit. 

There were in the year i860, in this country, 3,953,- 
760 slaves, distributed as follows: Alabama, 435,080; 
Arkansas, 111,115; Delaware, 1,798; District of 
Columbia, 3,185; Florida, 61,745; Georgia, 462,198; 
Kansas, 2; Kentucky, 225,483; Louisiana, 331,726; 
Maryland, 87,189; Mississippi, 436,631; Missouri, 
114,931; Nebraska, 15; New Jersey, 18; North Caro- 
lina, 331,059; South Carolina, 402,406; Tennessee, 
275,719; Texas, 182,566; Utah, 29; Virginia, 490,865. 



LETTER NO. 2. 

MY FIRST MILITARY SERVICE. 

My Dear Nephews: 

I am never going to say that it was best for the 
South that the Confederacy was overthrown; I do 



13 



a pair of OBIanfeew 



not believe it. I do not think that such tyrannical 
trusts would have been tolerated and such debauch- 
ery in politics could have existed, as we now have, 
under the flag of the Southern Cross. 

I am sorry that General Lee was forced to sur- 
render at Appomattox, Virginia. I wish the Con- 
federate States was a living, physical republic to-day. 

I could not fight for it again; but if the National 
government would voluntarily turn loose the South- 
ern States, I would rejoice to see a Southern Repub- 
lic with the old battle flag unfurled again in all its 
mighty glory. It is not to be; but a simple wish for 
it is harmless. 

I first recall political agitation away back when 
''Bethel," the old voting precinct on the North West 
Canal in Norfolk County, Virginia, was a Whig 
stronghold. They voted then with the living voice — 
without the secret ballot. 

I remember my father came home one afternoon 
and said he had been to "Bethel" to vote ; that he and 
a red-haired man were the only Democrats at the 
polls. 

I was about eight years old when I began to watch 
the trend of political affairs. 

I was politically speaking under "hack'' at the old 
field school, for the boys were all Whigs, and I was 
the lonesome Democrat, and they called me by the 
detested name, "locofoco." 

I remember the great political battles between the 
Whigs and Democrats, and vividly recall the coming 
of the American Party. The "Know Nothings" as 
the American Party was called, made political things 

14 



a pair of IBlankets 



bubble and boil, surely there were ''hot times" in 
those days. The contests were high spirited, but 
always honestly conducted. 

I remember how the sentiment changed in that 
Whig and Know Nothing community, when old John 
Brown invaded Virginia to murder the white people 
and free the slaves. 

Whigs, Know Nothings and Democrats, including 
the red-headed man, all were of one rnind to resist 
the Black Republican emissary. I, at once, "jined the 
cavalry," and was made an officer by some of the 
same boys who had called me a ''locofoco." 

Our company was organized at Hickory Ground, 
in Norfolk County, and called the "Wise Light Dra- 
goons," for the fiery tribune of the Virginia Democ- 
racy, Governor Henry A. Wise. 

This company was not required to go to the seat 
of war at Harpers Ferry as we earnestly desired, but 
still the horsemen continued to ride to their drills once 
every month. 

On the 17th of April, 1861, the Virginia Conven- 
tion, in session at Richmond, passed the "ordinance 
of secession," which was precipitated by Lincoln's 
proclamation calling for troops to subdue the states 
which had seceded. 

Three days after, the greatest excitement prevailed 
among the people of Portsmouth, where the govern- 
ment navy yard was located. The volunteer military 
companies of the third Virginia regiment were called 
out by the governor and stationed at various points 
near the Gosport Navy Yard. 

The entire community was excited to the highest 

15 



a pair o( lBlanket0 



pitch and on every hand arrangements of a warlike 
nature were being made for the sectional war, then 
imminent. 

On the day and night of the 20th of April, 1861, 
obstructions were placed in the Elizabeth river to 
prevent United States war vessels from coming in or 
going out of the harbor. About twelve o'clock on 
this day the gates of the navy yard were closed to 
all outsiders and were heavily guarded by U. S. ma- 
rines. During the day, marines, sailors and other at- 
tachees of the yard were engaged in destroying small 
arms and other instruments of war and throwing them 
in the river. 

On the evening of that day, about dark, the United 
States vessel Pawnee came steaming into port from 
the city of Washington, with a large number of ma- 
rines, sailors and soldiers on board. She came in 
with banners flying and a band of musicians playing 
national airs, and her guns were loaded and run out 
of their ports. She proceeded to the navy yard and 
immediately the marines, sailors, soldiers and their 
officers went ashore, and they began removing 
valuable materials to the ships, and the destruction 
of cannon and other things which could not be easily 
transported, and this work continued the entire night. 

Just before day when all of their forces, except 
a few who escaped and the two officers who were 
commissioned to fire the powder trains intended to 
destroy the ships and buildings were unintentionally 
left in the excitement, went on board the Pawnee 
and the sail frigates Constitution and Cumber- 

16 



a pair of 15lanfeet0 



land and proceeded to Fortress Monroe. The fire 
which was burning the ships and buildings spread 
rapidly, and from the main building in the yard com- 
municated to dwellings on the north side of Lin- 
coln street in the city of Portsmouth and destroyed 
quite a number, and but for the direction of the wind 
the whole city would have been destroyed. 

The terror of the people, aroused in the night time, 
to find the great sweeping flames apparently rush- 
ing to destroy everything before them, is beyond the 
power of my pen to describe. 

The trembling women, hastily robing, servants 
frantic and children screaming, increased the dismay; 
from all appearances it seemed that the town would 
be swept off the face of the earth in two hours, and 
it would have been had not the wind blown south- 
wardly. All the horses and oxen used in the navy 
yard, a considerable number, were burned alive, a 
horrid cruelty, but can you conceive a more diabolical 
act than to fire so many buildings at the dead of 
night, endangering the lives of men, women and 
children, many of whom were quietly sleeping, placing 
more faith in American sailors than to imagine that 
they could be capable of such an outrage. 

Afterwards, for some days, the whole population 
was in nervous dread, fearing the return of the 
Pawnee to finish the destruction of the town. 

While the fires were still burning and the ashes 
of this great destruction were smouldering, the "Wise 
Light Dragoons" rode to the bay shore to be videtts 
on the beach for the State of Virginia and there was 

17 



a pair of 15\mkm 



my first military service. We were quartered in 
Denby's church in the Northern part of the county 
about eight miles from the city of Norfolk. 

The first lieutenant and I slept within the altar 
rail, our captain in the pulpit, and the non-commis- 
sioned officers and privates lodged on the long benches 
for their beds. I did not have a pair of blankets 
there, for these for which I have named my story 
were on board a hostile man-of-war, flying the 
stars and stripes, anchored over across Hampton 
Roads. 

I am now seated in a comfortable chair before an 
open fire in my home, and there are the blankets 
hung up on the wall. The like of them was never 
seen before, and yet they are of the size and kind of 
many millions that have gone into the rag bag of the 
long ago. 

They are now thin and worn thread-bare in many 
places, but the ''U. S. Navy" in fadeless letters of red 
is on them still. They are relics of one of the great- 
est wars that ever thundered upon the face of the 
earth, they are unique in experience and they served 
on both sides, under two flags. 

The canteen, Spencer rifle, spur, sword and belt 
are silent witnesses of the scenes of war that have 
gone forever. They are captured spoils of war, and 
you will desire to know how I got them. 

I will let the "Blankets" tell their own story as if 
in their own language, partly based upon surmise and 
partly on facts, and I will tell you about the other 
relics and the long and faithful service of the old 
blankets. 

i8 



a pair o( leianfeew 



LETTER NO. 3. 
the tale of the blankets. 

My Dear Nephews: 

" Mary had a little lamb, 
His fleece was white as snow. 
Every where that Mary went. 
The lamb was sure to go." 

But we, the "Blankets" were neither borne nor 
born on the back of Mary's little lamb; we imagine 
that we first saw light away beyond the "Father of 
Waters" on a ranch of the great North West and 
many lambs bore us over the plains, grazing the while 
to give us strength and length, until they became fat 
sheep for the shearing time. Then the sharp scissors 
separated us from our mothers and fathers to be 
washed and baled for a long journey to New Eng- 
land. There we found a great building on the banks 
of the river Merrimac, with long cylinder chimneys 
constantly spouting clouds of smoke from the fur- 
naces which were creating steam for the boilers to 
run great engines by which the looms were worked, 
and the humming, buzzing machinery would fill your 
ears everywhere over the great structure. We were 
carried from the cars to a large room in the factory 
and made to sleep on the bare floor without cover- 
ing. When we were taken out we were rushed into 
the mouths of the great machines, carded, spun and 

19 



9 pair of ISlmhtts 



woven into the form you now see us, only we were 
whole and fresh like new born twins. The "U. S. 
Navy" was in plain red letters as a mark to keep us 
from running astray, for Uncle Sam ordered our 
creation to give comfort to his Blue Jackets. 

We were sent from the mills with thousands of 
others to be enlisted in the American Navy and were 
first put in a hammock on the U. S. sailing frigate 
Cumberland for a jolly good tar with whom we 
sailed for Mexico on our first cruise. 

A revolution was in progress there between two 
factions, one known as the Church Party and the 
other as the Constitutional Party. This may after 
awhile inspire you to read some history of that coun- 
try. The Home Squadron under Commodore Gar- 
rett J. Pendergrast was sent to Mexican waters to 
look out for the interest of Americans. 

On the 22d of December, Miramon, the leader of 
the Church Party was completely routed and Juarez 
with the Liberal army entered the City of Mexico 
on Christmas Day. 

When we were off Vera Cruz on the ninth day of 
February, the flag of the commodore was transferred 
from the old side wheel ship Powhatan to our ship. 

Then we heard that times at home were bestirred 
with rumors of civil war and orders came for our 
return to American waters, so on the 25th day of 
February, 1861, we were sailing from Vera Cruz 
homeward and our good ship on the second day of 
March anchored in Hampton Roads after encounter- 
ing a succession of severe gales off the Altantic 
coast. 

20 



a i^ait of IBlmkm 



On the 29th day of March we went up the Eliza- 
beth river and anchored off the Naval Hospital in 
the harbor of Norfolk and Portsmouth; afterwards 
our ship was towed up to the Gosport Navy Yard, 
where there were many big ships of war with famous 
names. The Merrimac, the Delaware, the Pennsyl- 
vania, the United States, the Raritan, the German- 
town, the Plymouth and the Dolphin. War seemed 
to be in the air, our great guns were shotted and the 
sailors were kept at quarters. 

On the 28th day of April, 1861, the commotion was 
great and the excitement intense all around us. The 
report came that the Virginians had sunk the Light 
Ships in the channel of the river to prevent our 
escape, and the trains constantly running on the 
Petersburg railroad were thought to be transporting 
troops to capture the navy yard. During that day 
and next, arms, munitions, and stores were brought 
from the navy yard on board of our ship. 

Sailors and marines were sent ashore to destroy 
the cannon and prepare for the general breaking up. 
About eight o'clock at night the Pawnee steamed up 
to the yard with the third Massachusetts regiment. 
As she passed us, our boys greeted her arrival with 
three hearty cheers. The soldiers were immediately 
landed to help in the destruction of the ships that 
were fastened to the wharves and moored in the 
stream. The turpentine powder and waste recently 
brought from Washington by the Annacosta were 
taken ashore for laying trains to the ships, store- 
houses and the great buildings in which men-of-war 
were constructed, for the terrible element, fire, was 

21 



a pair of T5lmkm 



soon to be turned loose for sweeping destruction. 
Early in the morning our ship, towed by the Pawnee 
and Yankee, started down the stream to Hampton 
Roads. At a signal rocket the trains of powder were 
lighted and the great conflagration swept with the 
wind over the doomed buildings and ships. The 
flames from the great buildings and huge ships illu- 
minated our vessels and the two cities, perfectly. It 
was an awful sight! The marines and sailors were 
on the decks of our outgoing vessels with loaded 
muskets and the cannon were shotted and ready for 
action as we passed slowly by the twin cities. No 
hostile demonstration was manifested on shore and 
we passed out without firing a musket. We anchored 
in the river to examine the barriers before attempt- 
ing to pass over, but finding we could get over, the 
tugs Yankee and Keystone State hooked on and 
dragged us over and down to the anchorage under 
Fortress Monroe. We were glad to rest after the 
great excitement and congratulated ourselves that we 
were still peacefully folded in our hammock. Flag 
Officer Pendergrast directed the affairs of the Home 
Squadron from this anchorage for some time. 



LETTER NO. 4. 

THE TALE OF THE BLANKETS (CONTINUED)'. 

My Dear Nephews: 

About the fifth of July, 1861, we heard our sailor 
boy say that our good ship would sail out of the 

22 



a Pair of IBlanbew 



capes, turn southward to observe the condition of 
affairs off stormy Hatteras, and then turn northward 
for the Boston navy yard. 

July the eleventh found us in the dry dock at Bos- 
ton. All the time we spent there a great hammering 
was a din in all ears. However the repairs were soon 
completed and the Cumberland sailed for Hampton 
Roads on August ninth ; arriving in the Virginia sea, 
she took position off Newport News to protect the 
building of shore batteries and watch the "Rebel" 
James River Fleet, with which she had a brush on 
September 15th without damage to either side. 

The spring of 1862 found us safely riding at an- 
chor at the mouth of the James river only shifting 
with the tides that flow in and out twice each day; 
and often the winter winds would whistle through the 
rigging and shrouds making the Jack tars shiver 
when cleaning the decks. 

On the eighth day of March, about nine o'clock in 
the morning, our sailor boy said: "Yonder are two 
steamers off Smithfield Point and I am suspicious of 
them," and then about noonday, three vessels under 
steam were standing down the Elizabeth river to- 
wards Sewell's Point. 

The crew was at once beat to quarters, the guns 
were double breeched on the main deck, and the 
Cumberland was cleared for action. Fatal day! 

At one o'clock in the afternoon the enemy hove in 
sight, gradually coming nearer ; the iron clad steamer 
Merrimac, accompanied by two steam gun boats, 
passed ahead of the frigate Congress and stood down 
towards us. The Cumberland opened fire on her 

23 



a pait of TBlmkm 



with solid shot, but she halted not, stood on and 
struck us under the starboard fore channels, deliver- 
ing her fire at the same time ; the crash was fatal and 
terrible. Through the great hole made in our star- 
board bow by the prow of the Merrimac the water 
rushed in volume and the ship was sinking. At 
three-thirty o'clock in the afternoon the water had 
gained upon us, notwithstanding the pumps were 
kept actively employed, to a degree that the forward 
magazine being drowned, powder had to be taken 
from the after magazine for the ten-inch gun. Five 
minutes later the water had risen to the main hatch- 
way, and the ship canted to port, a parting fire was 
delivered as she settled down, and the sailors jumped 
overboard to save themselves. 

One hundred and twenty-one of our men were 
killed and drowned of the 376 on board when the 
fight commenced. We heard that the enemy had 
only two killed and eight wounded. The prow of 
the Merrimac was broken off and her armor slightly 
damaged, her anchors and flag staff were shot away, 
and smoke stack and steam pipe riddled; but she 
turned and went back to fight the Congress. 

We (there were two of us), were nicely folded 
in our sailor boy's hammock, in the early morning, 
but when the water rushed into the bowels of the 
ship it Hfted the hammock clear off the hooks and 
we floated out on the bosom of the James River to 
meet the destiny of the tides. Our sailor boy had 
gone down fighting the last gun and needed us no 
more to enfold his sleeping form. 

The men of the Cumberland had fought with the 
24 



9 paft of ISlmkm 



ardor and gallantry of true knights and served the 
guns until the rushing water had killed the powder, 
and the ship went down with the flag at the mast- 
head, never surrendering. 

Naval warfare does not record higher courage and 
bravery, and they won unstinted praise for their 
glory from our enemy. The tide bore us along to- 
wards the sea, but rounding SewelFs Point we struck 
the sand beach and lodged under the rifled gun bat- 
tery. A "rebel" of the garrison made us prisoners; 
"fair spoils of war" he said, "and much needed, too." 

Sergeant P. Pritchard was our captor, reserving 
one pair and the hammock for himself, he sold us for 
ten dollars to his captain and so we became com- 
forters, aiders and abettors of the "Rebellion." 

We were not deserters, yet we changed masters. 
We were afraid our motives might be impeached for 
we did not relish the idea of being called deserters; 
we, however, consoled ourselves with the knowledge 
that our mission after all was one of mercy, and not 
of bloodshed; so being forcibly landed in the Con- 
federacy, we made peace with our conscience and 
gave all our blessings to a spirit of the South, which 
still cherishes its memories with unabating love.' 



LETTER NO. 5. 

THE BATTLE OF SEWELL's POINT. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Virginia seceded on the 17th day of April, 186 1, 
subject to the ratification of the ordinance of her con- 

25 



9 pair of "Blankm 



vention by the people at an election to be held on the 
fourth Thursday in May following. The prevailing 
sentiment foretold its overwhelming adoption and as 
Virginia by force of circumstances was to be a great 
battle ground, the Southern troops commenced their 
march hitherward before the vote was taken which 
would irrevocably fix the status of our state. 

When the ''City Light Guards" on the 19th of 
April, 1 86 1, left Columbus, Georgia, for Virginia, they 
bore a beautiful silk banner — the flag of Georgia, 
which had been presented by Miss Ella Ro§e Ingra- 
ham, and on arriving in Portsmouth, Va., the com- 
pany first camped at the Naval Hospital. Capt. Pey- 
ton H. Colquitt was its commander and it was as- 
signed as "Company A" of the Fourth Georgia Ba- 
tallion. This company was ordered from the Naval 
Hospital to Sewell's Point where it participated in 
the first battle in Virginia. Capt. Colquitt who com- 
manded the forces in this engagement was afterwards 
made Colonel of the 46th Georgia Regiment, which 
after serving some time in defence of Charleston, 
S. C, was transferred to the Western Army, and 
while fighting in the bloody battle of Chickamauga 
on Sunday, September 20th, 1863, was mortally 
wounded at the head of his command and soon ex- 
pired. The division commander said in his report of 
the battle: 'The noble, brave and chivalrous Col- 
quitt, who fell in command of Gist's Brigade, was a 
soldier, a gentleman, a Christian and a friend." The 
beginning of the battle of Sewell's Point was on the 
i8th day of May, 1861. The Kahukee, Capt. Babel 
Taylor, which used to ply through the Dismal Swamp 

26 



a pair of ISlmkm 



canal, was sent to take a force of laborers to Sewell's 
Point to build a fortification there. She landed the 
laborers but being observed from Fortress Monroe, 
the U. S. Str. Star, afterwards named the Monti- 
cello, was dispatched after her. The Monticello 
chased the Steamer Kahukee up the Elizabeth River 
to a point where she was in reach of our guns at 
Boush's Bluff Battery. A gun was trained by Thad- 
deus Gray of the Norfolk Junior Volunteers, Com- 
pany H, 1 2th, Va. Regiment infantry, and as soon as 
it could be' made to bear on the ship, one shot was 
fired by Capt. William Young, the instructor in heavy 
artillery. This shot stopped the chase and the Monti- 
cello retired, but when abreast of Sewell's Point vig- 
orously bombarded the unfinished fort. The Monti- 
cello, commanded by Captain Henry Eagle, U. S. N., 
kept up a constant fire for more than an hour, when 
the steam tug Thomas Freeborn, Commander James 
Ward, U. S. N., carrying one gun, came to her aid 
and the two vessels continued the bombardment until 
the close of day without any serious injury to the 
works, only burying unmounted cannon in the sand. 

The tug returned to Old Point and the Monticello 
moored with broadside on, with the intention of con- 
tinuing the attack, in order to demolish the works or 
prevent completion. 

The Confederates worked on the fortification dur- 
ing the whole night, and early next morning, May 
19th, other guns and equipment were hurried to the 
works. 

The City Light Guards of Columbus, Georgia, de- 
tachments from the Woodis Rifles, Company "G," 

27 



a pair of IBlankew 



Sixth Va. Regiment, the Norfolk Light Artillery 
Blues, Lieut. Thomas Nash, and the Norfolk Juniors, 
Lieut. Holmes, were ordered from neighboring posts 
to garrison the fort and occupy contiguous points. 
This fort was located just North of the Virginian 
Railway Coal Pier. 

The contingent from the Juniors contained a num- 
ber of men familiar with handling of heavy guns on 
shipboard, among them Thaddeus and James Gray, 
who were especially useful and acted with conspicuous 
gallantry when the battle was on. When the garri- 
son reached the battery they found everything in con- 
fusion, guns unmounted, no shells and no prepara- 
tion whatever to repel an attack from the water. 
General Walter Gwynn, commanding the Virginia 
forces around Norfolk, put all the forces and guns 
at this fortification under command of Capt. Peyton 
H. Colquitt, who promptly ordered all hands to work 
finishing up the earthworks and mounting the guns. 

They covered the port holes with blankets and dug 
up the cannon which had been buried in the sand by 
the bombardment of the previous day. They cleared 
away the sand, and succeeded in getting in position 
three 32-pounders and two small rifled guns by the 
afternoon; and just as the gunners were loading the 
cannon, the Monticello and Thos. Freeborn reopened 
the bombardment; and now they met with vigorous 
opposition. The guns on the ships were admirably 
handled and fired with great accuracy, several balls 
passing through the embrasures of the fort, one 
struck a 32-pounder within the battery, and one shell 
exploded in the fort. They expended fifteen stand 

28 



a pair of TSlankm 



of grape, twelve lo-Inch shot, thirty-two lo-inch shell 
for 32-pounders and forty-five 32-pounder shot, 
making a total of 114 shots. 

The Monticello was struck five times by cannon 
shot in the hull and her upper works well peppered 
with rifle bullets. She had two men wounded during 
the action. The Virginians and Georgians fought with 
great enthusiasm and bravery side by side, and two 
members of the City Light Guards who dug away 
sand in front of one of the port holes during the hot- 
test of the fire received especial mention in the offi- 
cial report of Capt. Colquitt. 

Fortunately not one of the garrison was injured; 
but one man was buried under a pile of sand hurled 
down upon him by a passing shell. After he was dug 
out by his comrades, it took a minute or more, and 
considerable feeling of his person up and down, 
to satisfy him that he was "all there." A very lu- 
dicrous scene. 

The only soldier injured of the Virginia troops 
was Private Alex. Sikes, of the Wise Light Dra- 
goons, who was on vidette duty some distance away 
from the fort. He was slightly wounded on the leg 
by the fragment of an exploding shell; and a few 
hours afterwards was admired by crowds on the 
streets of Norfolk for being the first soldier who 
spilt his blood in Virginia's war against the invaders 
of her soil. 

Captain Colquitt says: "Our firing was less fre- 
quent than that of the enemy as our ammunition was 
scarce; only two rounds left after the engagement, 
which lasted one hour and a half." Notwithstanding 

29 



a pair of IBlmkm 



the vessels were driven off by the effective fire from 
the fort and they retreated to Old Point. There was 
neither a Virginia nor a Confederate Flag at hand to 
raise over the fort consequently the flag of Georgia 
above-mentioned was unfurled on the ramparts by 
Major Wm. E. Taylor, an aide of Gen'l Gwynn, who 
was also acting as aide to the commander of the 
forces in action. The first engagement on the soil of 
Virginia in which blood was shed was under the sin- 
gle star blue banner of Georgia, the Empire state of 
the South. This victory created great rejoicing, and 
the ladies of Portsmouth responded by giving the 
Georgians a Confederate flag. The ceremonies of 
presentation took place at the camp near Sewell's 
Point on the 226. of May, and the spirit of the oc- 
casion may be noted from the address of Miss Belle 
Bilisoly, the beautiful and accomplished young lady, 
who presented it. She said in part : "We do not 
aim to make any invidious distinction between your 
gallant corps and those brave troops who shared with 
you the glory of achieving the first victory on the 
waters of our beautiful Elizabeth, for you have all 
nobly sustained yourselves and given evidence to the 
world that the honor of woman is safe in j^our keep- 
ing.'' * * * "But to you soldiers of Georgia, it 
behooves us as appreciative citizens to tender, not 
only our thanks, for your alacrity in responding to the 
cry of distress from our dear old mother and the 
promptness in expelling her foes, but this beautiful 
flag of our Confederacy as a memento of the esteem 
and confidence reposed in each and all of you as 
patriots and soldiers, citizens and gentlemen." 

30 



a pair of isimkm 



LETTER NO. 6 
denby's church and disbandment. 

My Dear Nephews : 

Now that the Blankets have told you the story of 
their service in the United States Navy, and you have 
heard in my last letter about the first victory in Vir- 
ginia, I will take you back to Denby's Church with 
the cavalry. The only thrilling incident of this serv- 
ice was the wounding of Vidette Sikes. I saw him 
in Norfolk the same afternoon with his trousers rolled 
up to his knee exhibiting his wound to admiring crowds 
on the corner of Main Street and Commercial Place. 
He attracted a larger assembly than any medicine 
fakir you ever saw. The Methodist Church known as 
Denby's Church, located at Tanner's Creek Cross 
Roads in Norfolk County, was our first shelter in the 
active military service of Virginia, and from these 
headquarters squads of horsemen were sent out to 
patrol the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and Hamp- 
ton Roads from Ocean View to Sewell's Point, and to 
watch the movements of the enemy's vessels. 

General Robert E. Lee, who had been made com- 
mander-in-chief of the Virginia forces, ordered forti- 
fications to be constructed at different points to pro- 
tect the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, and before 
the fort at Sewell's Point was completed, as before 
related, it was attacked by Federal vessels which were 

31 



a pair of ISlanbew 



driven off and defeated. You will have observed that 
although the convention had passed the ordinance 
of secession it w^as not to be effectual until ratified by 
an election to take place on the fourth Thursday in 
May, so this battle took place before our State vv^as a 
member of the Confederate States. It was Virginia's 
victory, with the aid of Georgia. The routine duty of 
our cavalry was kept up until the eighth day of June, 
l86i, when the military establishment of Virginia was 
turned over to the Confederate States. 

As I remember, it required sixty men for a com- 
pany to be mustered into the service of the Confed- 
erate States, and the "Wise Light Dragoons" were 
short of that number, so there was no alternative 
but to disband, and it was accordingly done and all 
departed from Denby's Church. 

Some of the men immediately enlisted in other com- 
mands, but the largest number formed the nucleus for 
an infantry company, which soon after organized at 
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in the Southern part 
of the county, under the name of "Jackson Grays." 
It was named for the brave Jackson who killed Ells- 
worth at Alexandria. 

I was unanimously elected captain, and there again 
we were quartered in a church, and our awkward 
squads were daily drilled. The county having appro- 
priated $12 each for equipping her soldiers, cloth 
was purchased for our uniforms, and the ladies of 
the neighborhood assembled every day in a near-by 
mansion house to make them up. It was not long be- 
fore my men were dressed in gray with glittering Vir- 
ginia buttons. 

32 



a pair of IBIanfertg 



The noble women presented us with a beautiful silk 
flag when we were ready to march to war. At that 
time they thought every company would have its flag, 
but a regimental flag was only used in battle, so our 
flag had to be folded away after we left Norfolk. 
We marched to Norfolk over the old battle field at 
Great Bridge, the good farmers sending wagons to 
take our luggage, which was too much for the exi- 
gencies of war, but at that time we did not see far 
in the future. Arriving in Norfolk the "J^^kson 
Grays" paraded on Main Street and facing the 
Custom House were met by Major E. Bradford, the 
mustering oflicer, and on that eleventh day of July, 
1861, were mustered into the army of the Confederate 
States, and then for a time we were quartered in the 
court-house at Portsmouth, from there we were or- 
dered to Fort Nelson, where we had a most delightful 
time, until December, when we were sent to man the 
masked batteries at Sewell's Point. While camping at 
the naval hospital park, our skirmish drills in the aft- 
ernoons attracted large crowds of visitors and the 
presence of the beautiful and handsomely dressed 
ladies gave us great delight. 



LETTER NO. 7, 

at the masked battery. 

My Dear Nephews : 

There was a sandhill or ridge a short distance from 
and a little northwest of the Confederate fort at Se- 



33 



a pair of IBlanfects 



well's Point, the scene of the first victory in Virginia, 
which I have already described. On the 12th of 
April, 1905, this sand hill was graded down for a 
building location, and the laborers discovered many 
human bones. It was evidently the burial ground of 
the Chesapeake Indians, for this place was in the 
bounds of their hunting grounds. One thigh bone, 
perfectly preserved, was twenty-two inches long, show- 
ing that it must have been that of a giant. It was 
sent to the Smithsonian Institute a Washingon, D. C. 
A battery mounting two guns was located in this 
sand hill. The guns were thirty-two pounder rifled 
cannon, in casemates, with railroad iron roofs, sup- 
ported by a massive framework of yellow pine timber. 
The casemates were buried in the great sand hill, 
and the embrasures were large enough to permit the 
guns to train upon Fortress Monroe and the Rip- 
Raps, and west across Hampton Roads, but not 
enough to the left to cross fire with our main Sewell's 
Point Fort. 

These guns were originally smooth bore, taken with 
the navy yard after the Federal evacuation, and rifled 
there, with a strong wrought-iron band shrunk around 
the breech to resist the force of the charge of powder. 
The rifling gave them a range of three miles, cover- 
ing the main channel across the Roads, and also reach- 
ing the Rip-Raps. There was another battery in 
course of construction on the Doyle Farm com- 
pletely masked by a thick pine woods. It was de- 
signed for four guns, one rifled gun in casemate with 
railroad iron roof and the other three in barbette, 
:with the magazine and bomb-proof traverse adjacent. 

34 



a pair of TSlmkm 



The ''Jackson Grays" were sent to garrison 
these two batteries. They also manned a ten-inch 
smooth bore cannon en barbette just south of the 
two-gun battery. 

A long board building was contsructed behind the 
sand ridge for our quarters. We drilled with both 
small arms and heavy artillery every day, but were 
not allowed to unmask our battery, although we were 
bombarded every day from twelve to one o'clock by 
the Sawyer gun on Rip-Raps, which was very annoy- 
ing to us as we were not allowed to reply, and our 
guns had equal range with this tormentor. The shells 
used by this gun were covered with lead. Most of 
them buried in the sand without exploding, and when 
dug up were as bright as a silver dollar. Digging 
them up was a daily amusement for the soldiers. The 
only damage which ever happened from these shells 
up to March 8th, 1862, was the killing of two soldiers 
by an explosion caused by attempting to unscrew the 
cap of one of them. After waiting and watching from 
December until March 8th, 1862, our opportunity came, 
and we joined in the great battle which revolutionized 
naval warfare. 

The scene of the first battle in which I was en- 
gaged is the heart of American history. The ocean 
waves are only a few miles distant, where the wild 
Atlantic thrusts its arm inland to make the "Mother 
of Waters" upon whose finger in 1607 was born the 
American nation. Ralph Lane came up from Roanoke 
Island in 1585 to discover and name the great bay for 
the tribe of red men, whose hunting ground was be- 
tween the confluence of three great rivers and the sea, 

35 



a mit of IBlar feets 



where the Indian warriors went to meet the landing 
party from Newport's ships and shot their bows over 
the sand dunes to draw the first English blood in Vir- 
ginia. Within cannon sound Cornwalis surrendered 
his sword, and Admiral Cockburn's guns reverber- 
ated along the shores of Hampton Roads while thun- 
dering at the gates of Norfolk and Portsmouth in 
1813. Hampton Roads is a beautiful inland sea, 
where the billows break and foam from hour to hour 
— where the fish swim in schools — where the luscious 
oysters live on the bottom — where gulls fly to shelter 
from the storms of the sea — and where the ships float 
in safety at anchor while the hurricane rages with 
mountain waves on the breast of the near-by ocean. 

I well remember that Saturday when the Virginia, 
accompanied by the gunboats Raleigh and Beaufort 
steamed around Craney Island, passed in front of 
our battery, and turned into the channel south of the 
middle ground, heading for the mouth of the James 
River. The two gunboats stopped at the mouth of the 
Elizabeth River to watch the movements of the Fed- 
eral vessels anchored off Old Point. I saw the battle 
opened by the Virginia delivering her broadside into 
the Congress, as she passed by to engage the Cumber- 
land. 

As the "Blankets" have told you of the death of the 
Cumberland, I will pass on to the fight with the Con- 
gress. 

The Virginia was some time in getting into proper 
position, owing to the shoal water and the ship was 
hard to manage in or near the mud. She was obliged 
to run a short distance above the Federal batteries on 

36 



a pair of TSlankets 



the James River in order to turn, and all this time she 
moved slowly because her keel was in the mud bot- 
tom. Thus she was unavoidably twice subjected to 
the heavy guns of all the batteries in passing up and 
down the river. She, however, kept her guns in ac- 
tion, silenced several batteries, and did much injury 
on shore. While the Virginia was thus engaged in 
getting her position for attacking the Congress, the 
prisoners afterwards stated that it was beHeved on 
board of their ship that the Virginia had hauled off. 
Their men left their guns and gave three cheers. 
They were sadly mistaken, for soon the Virginia 
opened upon her again so hotly that she ran ashore. 
The carnage, havoc and dismay caused by the shots 
of the Virginia compelled the Commander of the Con- 
gress to haul down his colors, and hoist the white flag 
at her gaff and half mast another at her main mast, 
and many of her crew immediately took to the boats 
and went ashore. 

The Confederates instantly ceased firing and a sig- 
nal was made for the Beaufort to come within hail of 
the admiral. He ordered Lieutenant-Commander Par- 
ker to take possession, allow the crew to land and burn 
the ship. Parker ran alongside, received her flag and 
surrender from Commander William Smith and Lieu- 
tenant Pendergrast, with the side-arms of those of- 
ficers. They delivered themselves as prisoners of 
war on board the Beaufort, and afterwards were per- 
mitted, at their own request, to return to the Congress 
to assist in moving the wounded to the Beaufort, and 
never returned. While the Beaufort and Raleigh were 
alongside of the Congress, and the surrender of that 

37 



a pair of TSlunkm 



vessel had been received from her commander, she 
having two white flags flying, hoisted by her own crew, 
a heavy fire was opened upon them from the shore and 
from the Congress^ kilHng some valuable officers and 
men. 

Under this treacherous fire the steamers left the 
Congress, but as Admiral Buchanan was not informed 
that any injury had been sustained by those vessels 
at the time, he took it for granted that his order to 
burn her had been carried out, and waited some min- 
utes to see the smoke ascending from her hatches. 

During the delay the Confederates were still sub- 
ject to the heavy fire from the batteries on the shore, 
which was promptly returned. The steam frigates 
Minnesota and Roanoke and the sailing frigate St. 
Lazurence had previously been reported to Admiral 
Buchanan as coming from Old Point, but he was de- 
termined that the Congress should not again fall into 
the hands of the enemy, and remarked to Flag Lieu- 
tenant Minor, "That ship must be burned." Minor 
promptly volunteered to take a boat and burn her. 
Lieutenant Minor had hardly reached within fifty 
yards of the Congress when a deadly fire was opened 
upon him, wounding him severely and several of his 
men. 

On witnessing this vile treachery, the Admiral in- 
stantly recalled the boat and ordered the Congress de- 
stroyed by hot shot and incendiary shell. About this 
time the gallant Admiral was wounded, and he was 
forced to transfer the command of the fleet to Lieu- 
tenant Catesby Jones. 



38 



a pair of 15lattket0 



LETTER NO. 8 
my first fight 

My Dear Nephews : 

The reinforcing ships coming up from Fortress 
Monroe had to pass directly in front of our two-gun 
battery, and now was our opportunity to unmask the 
guns without further orders. Each casemate had a 
gun's crew of twelve, and as soon as the Minnesota 
heading toward Newport News reached our line of 
fire we opened upon her. Our first shot went over her 
and fell wide of our mark, but the second one struck 
her mainmast, and then she fired a broadside at us, 
but having only smooth bore cannon, it fell at least a 
half of a mile short of us. She was under steam, 
was quickly out of our range, and aground soon after. 
Next the Roanoke passed within our line of fire, and 
we gave her one shot through her foremast and cut 
away a shroud on each side of her fore rigging. 
Then the St. Lawrence came on and our shot struck 
her under the fore foot. Thus these three great ships 
had their first taste of war from our Sewell's Point 
rifled gun battery, before they encountered the terrible 
Virginia, and two of them retreated before the iron- 
clad could get a show at them. The log of the Min- 
nesota says: "At 2 o'clock, when off Sewell's Point, 
the enemy opened fire on us, which was immediately 
responded to by this ship. One of the enemy's shot 

39 



a pair of OSIankew 



took effect on the mainmast. We immediately fished 
and secured it with a hawser over the masthead," and 
Captain Van Brunt of this ship, in his official report 
says : "While passing Sewell's Point the rebels opened 
fire upon us from a rifle battery, one shot going 
through and crippling my mainmast. I returned fire 
with my broadside guns and forecastle pivot." 

The log of the Roanoke says : 

"At 2.30, coming in range of Sewell's Point battery, 
they opened fire, and several shot and shell passed 
through the foresail and cut away a shroud on each 
side of the fore rigging; put on stops at once. The 
forward pivot gun was trained on Sewell's Point bat- 
tery, and fired, but fell short. Passing Sewell's Point 
the battery kept a brisk fire on us each way, the shots 
passing over us and some fragments striking us in 
hull and rigging. When out of range we came to 
anchor." The log of the St. Lawrence says: "At 5.25, 
passing Sewell's Point, the batteries opened upon us, 
firing some half dozen shot and shell, one of which 
passed over our quarterdeck forward the mizzenmast 
and just clearing the bows of the whaleboat, another 
carrying away the starboard quarter foreyard. Fired 
12 shot and shell in return to Sewell's Point, all fall- 
ing short, distance too great." Captain H. V. Pur- 
veance of this ship reported that : "At half-past two we 
got under way in tow of the Cambridge, and when 
abreast of the rebel battery at Sewell's Point, the bat- 
tery opened fire, one of the shells exploding under 
the forefoot of the St. Lawrence, doing, however, no 
material injury. The fire was returned, and it is be- 
lieved with some effect." Thus is told the story of the 

40 



a pair of lBIanket0 



engagement of the three ships and our rifle gun bat- 
tery by the enemy whom we fought in the great battle 
of Hampton Roads. 

Our cannon having a longer range, could reach the 
ships, while all of their shots fell far short of the 
shore. 

By firing one of our guns too rapidly in the excite- 
ment it was heated to such a degree as to cause the 
expansion to break the breech band, which forced it 
out of action, so we had but one gun to play on the 
retreating Roanoke and .S"^. Laivrence. 

Our inexperienced gunners could not allow time 
enough between shots for cooling the gun before ram- 
ming the charge, and it was a wonder that a prema- 
ture explosion did not occur. 

During the engagement a shell from the Sawyer 
gun on the Rip-Raps entered the embrasure of the 
casemate and exploded on the breech of the gun, 
wounding First Lieutenant William C. Wallace, and 
privates Alex. B. Cooper and William H. Warden. 
Cooper's skull was fractured, and he was maimed for 
life, and Warden died a few weeks after at the naval 
hospital from the effects of his injuries. 

I was blinded for some minutes with smoke and 
sand, as was the entire gun's crew. It seems almost 
a miracle that we were not all killed or wounded. 

The Minnesota grounded in the north channel, 
where, unfortunately, shallow water prevented the 
Virginia from getting near enough to destroy her. 
The Virginia's pilots declaring that it was unsafe to 
approach nearer, she returned to the south channel, 
leaving the middle ground between them, and then 

41 



a pait of TSlmkm 



the duel continued until dark, when the Confederate 
squadron anchored off Sewell's Point, except the 
Beaufort, which had proceeded to the Naval Hospital 
at Portsmouth with the wounded and prisoners as 
soon as she had left the Congress. It may be well to 
say that the middle ground is shoal water between two 
channels in Hampton Roads. 

The sight of this greatest of marine battles was at 
once grand and awful ! I still wonder at the spectacle, 
and picture it in my mind over and over again. I 
remember as the sun went down the flaming smoke 
was floating over against the red and purple sky, the 
white puffs from the blazing muzzles of the cannon, 
which were thundering over the water, lingered for 
awhile in the shrouds and rigging of the great crafts 
of war and drifted out on the mazes of the evening 
to vanish with the wind. 

As the penalty for the treachery under the white 
flags that were floating over the Congress^ the red- 
hot shot and incendiary shells from the ports of the 
Virginia crushed into her sides, her sailors jumped 
into the sea, and swam for the shore, and her hull 
blazed from every port. 

Now night covered the face of the waters, the Con- 
federate fleet was anchored abreast of Sewell's Point, 
and over the way the light of the burning ship made 
the surface of the water like a sea of living glass. 

The burning tar in the oakum seams made flicker- 
ing lines of light over the decks and along the sides 
of the ship, the fire ran up the shrouds and stays, 
blazed along the yards ; pillars of smoke twisted about 

42 



a pair of lBIanfeet0 



the great pine masts with wreaths of flame breathing 
out to die on the wind. 

The great frigate in full blaze was an awful thing 
of beauty! Down in the "hold" the fire swept away 
the lower decks, charred the ribs and the great live 
oak knees, fired the shotted guns and the wild flying 
missies shone like meteors streaming through the sky. 
After tlie hour of midnight, the magazine exploded, 
and threw up a volume of fire from the bottom of the 
sea, like the breath of a volcano. It thundered and 
rocked the land and water as an earthquake tearing 
out the bowels of the earth. 

The force of the powder broke the strong timbers, 
scattered the fragments into the air, and sent the re- 
mains of the Congress floating over the s,urging waters 
to go with the ocean tide, and when the glittering 
sparks of the vanished column of flame died out, night 
shrouded the waters with silent, death-like darkness. 
What will be the outcome of the morrow ? The Min- 
nesota is disabled, and her consorts are under the 
guns of Fortress Monroe, and her fate seems to hang 
on the will of the Virginia. 



LETTER NO. 9. 
the duel of the iron-clads. 

My Dear Nephews : 

Worn out in watching the burning Congress and 
never-to-be-forgotten scene, I fell asleep on the beach 
in front of our battery, with the sand for my bed, and 

43 



ai pair of ISlankm 



the rising sun on the ninth day of March, 1862, awoke 
me from my slumbers. 

I saw a yawl boat put off from the Virginia and 
head for the shore a little distance below my position. 
I walked to the point of landing and saw it was 
bringing off ship the wounded Commander. I saw the 
great Admiral tenderly landed in the arms of his faith- 
ful seamen and heard him send a fighting message 
back to his successor in command. 

This morning in the early dawn a sailor's hammock 
marked "Cumberland," containing two pairs of blank- 
ets with the ''U. S. Navy" in red letters on them, was 
found by Sergeant P. Pritchard of the "Jackson 
Grays" on the sand beach near our fort. Afterward 
I purchased a pair from him for ten dollars, and so 
they became my nightly comforts for many years, and 
that night they were on my bunk in our quarters be- 
hind the sand hill. These are the blankets pictured 
to you in this narrative. 

About eight o'clock this morning the Virginia got 
under way and steamed toward the Minnesota, when, 
within a mile, as near as the midde ground shoal 
water would permit, she opened fire, and the battle 
raged for some time, then I saw a queer little craft 
creep around from behind the Minnesota and fire at 
the Virginia. It appeared like a cheese box floating 
on a plank, and she was called the Cheese Box after 
that. 

She had reached Old Point about nine o'clock on the 
night of the eight of March, and at two o'clock on the 
morning of the ninth hauled alongside of the Min- 
nesota between that ship and the Newport News shore. 

44 



a Pair of IBlmkm 



So, in the nick of time, appeared the Cheese Box to 
take up the gauntlet of battle and relieve the Min- 
nesota. The ships of the enemy were out of the range 
of our battery, so I sat upon the beach below, near the 
water, and watched the fight. 

It was a beautiful Sabbath day — one to gladden the 
heart of a Christian, bright and clear, with wind 
enough to make the little waves race with measured 
murmurs, as they kissed the shore in the morning sun- 
light. 

The duel between the ironclads was the most in- 
tensely thrilling engagement I ever witnessed. 

I could see the white smoke puff out of the port 
holes, then hear the boom of the cannon, and the 
solid shot glancing from the shield of the Virginia 
would come richocheting over the surface of the rest- 
less waters and sink near our shore as the force was 
spent. 

The ships soon closed together as two great wres- 
tlers striving for the championship of the world, one 
ponderous and slow in manoeuvring, the other agile 
and moving around her antagonist at pleasure. Now 
the supreme moment, the Virginia finding the oppor- 
tunity, put on all steam, and struck the Monitor a side 
blow. Oh! for that lost prow! The glancing blow 
was of little effect, because the engine was reversed 
too soon. An eyewitness on Craney Island, who could 
see the upside of the Monitor, said a few more revo- 
lutions of the Virginia's propeller would have buried 
the Monitor and sunk her to rise no more. 

The commander of the Virginia (Lieutenant 
Catesby Jones) said: "When we saw that our fire 

45 



a pair of ISlmkm 



made no impression on the Monitor we determined to 
run into her if possible. We found it a very difficult 
feat to do, our great length and draft, in a compara- 
tively narrow channel, with little water to spare, made 
us sluggish in our movements, and hard to steer and 
turn. When the opportunity presented all steam was 
put on; there was not, however, sufficient time to 
gather full headway before striking. The blow was 
given with the broad wooden stem, the iron prow 
having been lost the day before. The Monitor re- 
ceived the blow in such a manner as to weaken its 
effect, and the damage to her was trifling; shortly 
after an alarming leak in the bow was reported. It, 
however, did not long continue." Lieutenant Jones 
says that the shells from the Virginias guns seemed 
to make no impression on the Cheese Box, until one 
struck her pilot house, and blinded her captain. 

They had fought and wrestled for three hours, and 
after this occurrence the Monitor withdrew to the 
shallow water of the middle ground, where the Vir- 
ginia could not follow her. She waited on the battle- 
ground an hour, but the Monitor would not return to 
the contest: then it was decided to take the ship to 
the dry dock in the navy yard to have another iron 
prow put on, to have shutters for the port holes, and 
bear her down lower in the water so as to better pro- 
tect her wooden hull. At twelve o'clock, noonday, 
the Virginia stood for Portsmouth. None of her 
crew was killed or wounded in her fight with the 
Monitor. When the Virginia left the scene of battle, 
she had nothing to fight, the Monitor having gotten 
out of her reach in shallow water, and the pilots said 

46 



a Pait of TBIanbet0 



she could not be taken near enough to destroy the 
Minnesota, as she was leaking and could not get to 
the dock except at high tide, it was part of wisdom in 
Commander Jones to go up to the navy yard at that 
time. 

The Federal loss in the two days' battle was reported 
as 201 killed, and io8 wounded. The Confederate 
loss was 7 killed and 17 wounded on shipboard, and 3 
wounded at our battery, making 20 wounded. 



LETTER NO 10. 

THE 'Virginia" victorious. 

My Dear Nephews : 

The wrestle of these terrible iron monsters in deadly 
conflict, like fabled leviathians out of the broad, deep 
seas, was grand, awful, magnificent, sublime to be- 
hold! There was the world's most radical change in 
naval warfare — there was the passing of wooden men- 
of-war — ^there was the greatest event in all the history 
of marine engagements. I saw it, but could not realize 
it. It had no parallel in the annals of time. But one 
year before was pubHshed "Ordnance and Gunnery," 
by Lieut. E. Simpson, U. S. N., designed as a text- 
book for the Naval Academy, which said : "Iron ves- 
sels are utterly unfit for war"; and giving the com- 
ments of Sir Howard Douglass on the French ship 
LeGaloire and the British ship Warrior, concluded 
that from the opinion of this standard authority that 

47 



a pair of IBlmkm 



there was not much to be feared from these iron-clad 
monsters. 

Sir Howard Douglas had written many treatises 
on fortifications and one on naval gunnery, which was 
standard authority in foreign countries. He died in 
November, 1861, too soon to realize the failure of his 
opinions. 

Alas ! for the theories of these distinguished writers. 
I saw them buried in the waters of Hampton Roads 
in the bright sunlight of a glorious Sabbath day with- 
out hope of resurrection. 

The North was overwhelmed with consternation and 
dread, and the alarm was sounded in every north At- 
lantic city, while the South was jubilant over the re- 
sults of the great battles of the eighth and ninth of 
March, 1862. 

The Confederate fleet had successfully encountered, 
defied, and beat a force equal to 2,960 men and 220 
guns, as follows : 

Congress, burned, 480 men, 50 guns. 

Cumberland, sunk, 360 men, 22 guns. 

Minnesota, riddled, 550 men, 40 guns. 

Roanoke, driven off, 550 men, 40 guns. 

St. Lazvrence, driven off, 550 men, 40 guns. 

Two or three gunboats, disabled and driven off, 
120 men, 6 guns. 

Monitor, iron-clad, disabled and driven off to shoal 
water, 150 men, 2 guns, and the forts at Newport 
News, silenced, 200 men, 20 guns. 

The tug boat Dragon was sunk alongside of the 
Minnesota. This victory frightened the enemy so he 
prepared to run in every direction. The famous old 

48 



a pair of 15lmkm 



ship, Brandywine, then used as a storeship, was hast- 
ily towed up the bay to escape destruction, and every 
preparation was made to obstruct the channel of the 
Potomac, to save the national capital from capture by 
the Virginia. Another ship of her capacity, com- 
manded by an officer of the same judgment and nerve 
as Buchannan, would have made the North sue 
for peace at the close of our victorious battles of 
Hampton Roads. Yet it has been written by Northern 
historians, and believed by many Northmen, that the 
Monitor defeated the Virginia, and even by some Vir- 
ginia historians it is called a drawn battle. When two 
men fight and one cries "enough" he who cries is 
whipped. When two men clinch in a fist fight, and 
one disentangles himself and runs away beyond the 
reach of his antagonist, he who runs is whipped. 

The Virginia and Monitor were fighting in close 
contact ; the Monitor drew off into shallow water, out 
of reach of her antagonist, and dared not return to 
the contest, therefore, I say it was a brilliant and mag- 
nificent victory for the Confederacy. The Virginia 
was victorious, the Monitor was defeated, and just 
historians must so record and declare. 

The victory of the Virginia over the Monitor is ad- 
mitted in the report of Mr. Ballentine, made on the 
31st day of May, 1884, to the Forty-eighth Congress 
on the bill to give prize money to the crew of the Mon- 
itor for the alleged destruction of the Virginia. It 
says : "All of the evidence leads us clearly to the opin- 
ion that the Monitor, after her engagement with the 
Merrimac, on the ninth of March, declined again to 
engage her, though offered the opportunity, and that 

49 



1 



a Pait of TSlmkm 



so great doubt existed with the United States naval 
and military authorities as to the power of the Monitor 
to successfully meet the Merrimac, (he calls her by her 
original name before she was converted into an iron- 
clad by the Confederates) that orders were given to 
her commander by the President not to bring on an 
engagement. It also appears that the Merrimac, so 
far from being seriously injured, was enabled, after 
the engagement, to protect the approaches to Norfolk 
and Richmond until after the evacuation of Norfolk." 
* * * *^e assume that the proof shows that the 
only serious damage sustained by the Merrimac was 
inflicted by the Cumberland, and that the Merrimac 
went back to Norfolk when her adversaries were out 
of reach; and they being in shoal water, and she, on 
account of the great depth of water which she drew, 
was unable to attack them, went back to Norfolk for 
repairs, and again came out and offered battle, which 
was refused ; and that eventually, on the evacution of 
Norfolk by the Confederate forces, she was destroyed 
by her officers and crew to prevent her falling into 
the hands of the Union forces, and that, therefore, her 
destruction was not the result of her engagement with 
the Monitor." 

After citing all the evidence, the report goes on to 
say: "From the above-mentioned facts, we think it 
clearly appears that the Monitor, after her engage- 
ment with the Merrimac on the 9th of March, never 
again dared encounter her, though offered frequent 
opportunities ; that so much doubt existed in the minds 
of the Federal authorities as to her power to meet the 
Merrimac, that orders were given her commander not 

50 



a pair of iBlmkm 



to fight her voluntarily ; that the Merrimac was so far 
from being seriously injured in her engagement, 
that it effectually protected the approaches to Norfolk 
and Richmond until Norfolk was evacuated; that the 
Merrimac could not have gotten to Washington or 
Baltimore in her normal condition; that, although she 
could have run by the Federal fleet and Old Point 
(barring torpedoes in the channel) and threatened 
McGlellan's base at Yorktown, in exceptionally good 
weather, yet would have had to leave the James River 
open." 



LETTER NO. ii. 



My Dear Nephews : 

After the Virginia had received repairs, a new prow 
and shutters for her port holes, on the eleventh of 
April she went down to Hampton Roads to challenge 
the Federal fleet to battle. She left the anchorage off 
the Naval Hospital about six o'clock in the morning, 
under command of Flag Officer Josiah Tatnall, and 
went within long range of the Federal land batteries, 
but the Monitor kept close under the grim fortress as 
her protector. I was filled with intense excitement, 
expecting to witness another famous battle of the iron- 
clads, but was sorely disappointed. 

The Monitor cowered under this challenge while 
the Virginia held the battle ground until late in the 
afternoon. 

51 



a pair cf leiankew 



A telegraphic report to the Federal Secretary of 
War says: "Day opened bright and clear, with the 
broad expanse of Hampton Roads almost unruffled by 
wave. About seven o'clock a signal gun from the 
Minnesota turned all eyes towards Sewell's Point, and 
coming from under the land, almost obscured by the 
dim haze, the Merrimac was seen, followed by the 
Yorktown, Jamestozvn, and four small vessels, alto- 
gether seven in number. There was instantaneous 
activity among the transports and vessels in the upper 
Roads to get out of the way of the steamboats, sev- 
eral of which were crowded with troops, and m.oved 
out of danger. Steam tugs ran whistling and scream- 
ing about, towing strings of vessels behind them, 
whilst sloops, schooners and brigs taking advantage 
of what air there was, got up sail and moved out of 
harm's way. In the course of an hour the appear- 
ance of the crowded Roads was greatly altered. For- 
ests of masts between Fortress IMonroe and Sewell's 
Point disappeared, and the broad expanse of water 
bore on its surface only the rebel fleet and two French 
and one English man-of-war, which with steam up, 
still maintained position. Curious maneuvers! eight- 
thirty o'clock. For the last hour the maneuvers of the 
rebel fleet have apparently been directed towards de- 
coying our fleet up towards Sewell's Point. When 
the Merrimac first appeared she stood directly across 
the Elizabeth river, followed by her consorts as if 
they were bound for Newport News. 

"The Merrimac approached the English sloop-of- 
war, and after apparently communicating with her, 

52 



a pair of ISlankm 



fell slowly, and moved back towards her consorts in 
rear. 

"The French and English vessels then moved up as 
if they had been informed that the lower Roads were 
to be the scene of the conflict, and they had been 
warned to get out of range. 

''For an hour the rebel fleet kept changing position 
without making any decided advance in any direc- 
tion. On our part no movement was made. The 
Monitor, with steam up and in fighting trim, laid 
quietly near her usual anchorage. The Naugattick 
(Stevens ''Battery") came out and took position 
alongside of the Monitor. Signals were exchanged 
between our vessels, the fort and Rip-Raps, but no 
movements were made. Curiosity grew rapidly into 
suspense. A bold stroke. At length the Yorktown 
moved rapidly up and after advancing well towards 
Newport News, steamed rapidly towards Hampton. 
The object was then seen to be the capture of three 
sailing vessels, two brigs and a schooner, transports, 
which were lying either aground or had not been 
furnished with a steam tug in order to make their 
escape. The bold impudence of the maneuvering con- 
tinued; the apparent apathy of our fleet excited sur- 
prise and indignation. There was a rebel boat, not 
built for war purposes, having the protection of the 
Merrimac and her consorts, where it appeared to im- 
partial eyes, she could easily be cut off, and yet no 
attempt on our part to do it. Of course there were 
good reasons for this policy, though the crowd could 
not see it." The above is a vivid and forcible con- 
fession from an enemy on the spot that the Monitor 

53 



a Patt of ISlmkm 



and all her consorts including the "Stevens Battery" 
were afraid to meet the Virginia on a fair field. It 
was the C. S. Steamer Jamestown, Lieut. Commander 
Alexander, which captured the Brig Marcus, of 
Stockton, N. J., the Brig Sahoah, of Providence, R. I., 
and the Schooner Catharine A. Dix, of Accomac, Va. 
One of the brigs was loaded with hay, and the other 
two vessels were in ballast. The capture of these 
vessels almost in cannon shot of the Monitor did not 
effect her movement, so for the second time she de- 
clined combat with the Virginia. In the first as be- 
fore stated she retired to shallow water and declined 
further contest with the victorious Virginia. 

The commander of Her Britanic Majesty's ship 
Rinaldo, which had arrived in Hampton Roads from 
Charleston, S. C, on March loth, 1862, reporting on 
this affair says : "The Virginia and her consorts con- 
tinued steaming for Fortress Monroe but when 
abreast of Sewell's Point, well out in the stream, the 
gunboats and tugs stopped, and the Virginia pro- 
ceeded as before, passing within two hundred yards 
of me. At 7 :45, the fort on Rip-Raps fired two shots 
at her, both falling short. I then slipped my port 
anchor, and in company with the French steamers 
Catinet and Gassendi, headed for Newport News, 
keeping out of range of the Federal guns. At 9 a. m., 
the Confederate gunboat Patrick Henry, with some 
little assistance from the gunboat Teaser captured 
three transports close in shore on the Federal side, 
without being interfered with, and towed them up to 
Norfolk. From this hour until 4 p. m., the Con- 
federate squadron cruised about the Roads without 

54 



a Pait of TBlankm 



Opposition, the Virginia occasionally going within 
range of the Federal guns on the Rip-Raps and Fort- 
ress Monroe, as well as those of the large squadron 
under the guns of the fortress. At 4 p. m., the Vir- 
ginia fired three shots at two Federal gunboats in- 
side of the bar for protection of the schooners and 
transports. They immediately returned fire, but the 
range being too long no damage was done either 
side. The Virginia then steamed back to Craney 
Island with the rest of the squadron. I was at this 
time anchored near Newport News. The next day 
the Virginia and her consorts steamed down to 
Sewell's Point and remained there all day, the Fed- 
eral squadron making no attempt to harrass them." 

Here is the direct evidence of a foreigner, an im- 
partial witness, showing the refusal of the Monitor 
to accept the second challenge to battle from the Vir- 
ginia extending over two days, and with another iron- 
clad to help her. 



LETTER NO. 12. 
THE "Virginia's" third challenge 

My Dear Nephews: 

The third retreat of the Monitor occurred on the 
eighth of May, 1862. 

The captain of the tugboat /. B. White deserted 
with his boat this morning, reported to the enemy 
that the Confederates were preparing to evacuate 
Norfolk and Portsmouth, and had sunk the Virginia, 

55 



a pait of TBlmktts 



This, however, was a little premature. His name was 
Byers and as master of the tug had been employed by 
the contractors in building the Albemarle and Chesa- 
peake canal from September, i860, to this date, when 
he escaped to Fortress Monroe, where he met and 
told Lincoln about affairs in Norfolk and Ports- 
mouth. 

The commander of H. B. M. Ship Rinaldo in a 
letter to Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander White, K. C. B., 
says : "On this intelligence becoming known, at 12 130 
o'c. p. m., of the same day, a Federal squadron 
consisting of the Dacotah and Oneida, screw sloops 
of six guns each, the San Jacinto screw of eleven 
guns, Susquehanna paddle sloop, fifteen guns, the 
Monitor and Naugatuck, iron cased batteries, moved 
up the river towards Sewell's Point and commenced 
shelling the Confederate battery on that point at very 
long range. 

'This was the prelude to their intended attack upon 
Norfolk. The Confederates returned a slow fire. I 
suppose their guns are not very long range. The 
Federal squadron continued firing up to 2 130 p. m. 
without intermission. The Monitor was at this time 
about 1,800 yards from Sewell's Point, and in the 
direction of Newport News. The smoke of a steamer 
could be seen rising above the trees and moving along 
towards Hampton Roads from the direction of Nor- 
folk. At 3 p. m. the Confederate iron cased battery 
Virginia rounded Sewell's Point, and the whole Fed- 
eral squadron steamed down quickly under the guns 
of the fortress. 

"As the Virginia alone came within range of their 

S6 



a pair of OBIanbets 



guns, and those of Fort Wool on Rip-Raps, the 
Federal frigate Minnesota, accompanied by four 
large steamers, which are intended to act as rams, 
proceeded up the river abreast of Old Point and 
joined the rest of the squadron. With the exception 
of a few shots fired from the Rip-Raps at the Vir- 
ginia, the Federals made no attempt to molest her. 
They left off firing at Sewell's Point immediately on 
sighting her coming from Norfolk. She would likely 
have made her appearance before, had the water been 
sufficiently high. The Virginia having driven the 
Federal fleet away, returned and anchored under 
Sewell's Point, where she now remains." 

This is a correct description of the Monitor s third 
white feather before 'the champion of Hampton 
Roads, the iron-clad Virginia, and this time she had 
another iron clad to run with her. This bombard- 
ment of Sewell's Point was the most terrific I ever 
experienced, even more dreadful than the famous 
Gettysburg, when I was on Seminary Ridge, July 
3d, 1863. 

Our battery could only get in a few shots before 
the Federal squadron had passed too far to our left 
and were out of range. The whole squadron con- 
centrated its fire on the main Sewell's Point Fort, 
and made it too hot for the gunners to work the 
parapet guns. Being out of our range we could do 
nothing but keep close in the casemates which pro- 
tected us from the shells, which rained like hail all 
around us, many of which were huge parrot shells of 
enormous size. 

Our quarters were set on fire by the shells and en- 

51 



a pair of TBlmkm 



tirely consumed, but no one was hurt and the "Pair 
of Blankets" was rescued from the burning building 
with the other personal effects of the soldiers. 

As the Englishman says, as soon as they saw the 
Virginia, they, one and all, made haste to escape to 
Old Point much to our relief, for we had prayed for 
the Virginia more than two long agonizing hours, and 
oh, what a relief was her coming! 

Two days afterwards, Norfolk and Portsmouth had 
been evacuated and the great ship was run aground 
at Craney Island ''bite" and destroyed by order of 
her own commander. He says: ''The ship was put 
on shore as near the mainland in the vicinity of 
Craney Island as possible, and the crew landed. She 
was then fired and after burning fiercely fore and aft 
upward of an hour, blew up a little before five o'clock 
on the morning of the eleventh." 

Commodore Tatnall, her commander, was greatly 
censured for her destruction and a court of inquiry 
reported that "her destruction was unnecessary at the 
time and place it was affected"; but the court mar- 
tial which followed unanimously concluded its find- 
ings as follows: "The court doth further find that 
the accused had, while in command of the Virginia, 
and previous to the evacuation of Norfolk, thrown 
down the gage of battle to the enemy's fleet in 
Hampton Roads, and that the enemy had declined 
to take it up; that the day before Norfolk was evac- 
uated a consultation, at the instance of the Secretary 
of the Navy, was held by a joint commission of 
navy and army officers as to the best disposition to 
be made of the ship; that the accused was in favor 

58 



a Wait of iBlmkm 



of passing Fortress Monroe and taking the ship to 
York River or running before Savannah with her; 
that in this he was overruled by the council, who 
advised that she should remain on this side of Fort- 
ress Monroe for the protection of Norfolk and Rich- 
mond; that, in accordance with this advice, she pro- 
ceeded to regulate her movements; that after the 
evacuation of Norfolk, Westover, on James River, 
became the most suitable position for her to occupy; 
that while in the act of lightening her for the pur- 
pose of taking her up to that point the pilots, for 
the first time, declared their inability to take her up, 
even though her draft should be reduced to its mini- 
mum of 1 8 feet; that by the evacuation of Norfolk 
and the abandonmicnt of our forts below Westover 
both banks of the James River below that point were 
virtually given up to the enemy; that the ship, being 
thus cut off from Norfolk and Richmond, was de- 
prived of all outward sources of supply save those 
of the most precarious and uncertain character; that 
her store of provisions w-ould not last for more than 
three weeks; that when lightened she was vulner- 
able to the attacks of the enemy; and that, after hav- 
ing been lightened, there were no available means 
of bringing her down to her proper draft and fight- 
ing trim; and that she had but two small boats, each 
capable of landing not more than fifteen or eighteen 
men at a time, even in smooth water. Such being 
the facts and circumstances under the influence of 
which the Virgima found herself after the evacua- 
tion of Norfolk, it was, in the opinion of the court, 
only necessary for the enemy to continue to refuse 

59 



a pair of IBlmktts 



battle, as he had done since it was first offered by 
Captain Tatnall early in April, and thenceforward 
to keep strict watch about the Virginia, in order, 
when her provisions were exhausted, to make her his 
prize and her crew his prisoners. Being thus sit- 
uated, the only alternative, in the opinion of the 
court, was to abandon and burn the ship then and 
there, which in the judgment of the court was de- 
liberately and wisely done by the accused." "Where- 
fore the court do award to the said Captain Josiah 
Tatnall an Honorable acquittal." Whether the sober 
judgment of history will sustain this action of the 
court still remains in doubt. 



LETTER NO. 13. 

THE DIMENSIONS OF THE 'ViRGINIA/' 

My Dear Nephews: 

The destruction of the Virginia ended the Con- 
federate battles on Hampton Roads. 

They had indeed been the marvel of nations, and 
eventuated in an evolution of war vessels beyond the 
dreams of the most famous admirals of the world. 

Forty-one years, one month and five days after the 
death of the Virginia, I saw a new Virginia bap- 
tized in her victorious warpath showing the impress 
that the departed iron-clad had made upon the world 
by her battles in Hampton Roads with the Federal 
fleet. 

60 



a pair of T5lmkm 



The Virginia and Monitor of 1862 are to the mon- 
ster iron battleships of this twentieth century as a 
pigmy to a giant. The Confederate States Steamer 
Virginia was a reconstruction of the frigate Merri- 
mac, which was scuttled and burned to the water's 
e.dge on the night of the destruction of the Gosport 
Navy Yard by the Federals. 

The old ship was raised, put in the dry dock and 
cut down to within three and one-half feet of her 
light water line and a deck was built from one end 
to the other. 

On this deck was constructed a roof, shielded with 
iron plates. Inside the roof the deck was covered 
with plank on beams, but outside the shield, at both 
ends, it was built of solid timber, and covered with 
iron one inch thick. 

The ship was 262 feet 9 inches long from her stem 
to the after side of her stern post; from the stem to 
the forward part of the shield was twenty-nine feet 
six inches; from the tiller to the after part of the 
shield was fifty-five feet, and the length of the shield 
was 178 feet and 6 inches. The length of the gun 
deck under the shield was 167 feet and 7 inches. 
The rafters of the shield or roof were yellow pine, 
fourteen inches thick, bolted together and placed at 
an inclination of thirty-five degrees; on these were 
four-inch pine plank placed horizontally and on this 
was a course of four-inch oak plank up and down; 
then a course of rolled iron bars or plates, two inches 
thick and eight inches wide, also placed horizontally 
and another layer of the same iron up and down, all 

61 



a pair of TBlmkm 



securely bolted, through the wood frame and held 
with nuts on the inside. 

The roof was 26 inches thick — 22 of wood and 
four inches of iron. The deck or top of the shield 
was fourteen feet wide and protected by an iron 
grating of two inches square iron with meshes two 
inches square. The pitch of the gun deck was seven 
feet. Both ends of the shield were rounded so that 
the pivot guns could be used as bow or stern chasers 
or quartering. She had a cast iron prow weighing 
about 1,500 pounds, which was broken off in ram- 
ming the Cumberland. As a safeguard to protect the 
hull, a course of iron one inch thick was fastened all 
around her, three feet down from the Knuckle. The 
iron for her shield was rolled at the Tradegar Iron 
Works in Richmond, Va., into plates two inches thick 
and eight inches wide. A vessel with a cargo of 
railroad iron bound from Liverpool, Eng., to Balti- 
more, Md., went ashore in a storm on the North 
Carolina coast. The Confederate government took 
possession of the iron, had it transported to the 
Tradegar Iron Works, where it was rolled into plates 
as stated before. The government paid the owners 
in gold. When the. Virginia went out to fight she had 
18 commissioned officers, 7 engineers, 6 petty offi- 
cers, 4 pilots and a crew of 300 men; her armament 
was two 7-inch rifle guns with a range out of three 
port holes, and eight smooth bore 9-inch Dahlgren 
guns of the Merrimac battery. 



62 



a Pait of OBIanfeets 



LETTER NO. 14. 
the evacuation and fight at point of rocks. 

My Dear Nephews: 

The Confederate authorities having ordered the 
evacuation of Norfolk and Portsmouth preparations 
were going forward with much haste, and this be- 
coming known to the Federals, they landed about six 
thousand troops under General John E. Wool on 
Willoughby's Spit in the early morning of the tenth 
of May, 1862, and commenced the march for Nor- 
folk. This unexpected maneuver forced the hasty 
evacuation of all the fortifications at SewelFs Point, 
and the garrisons at once took up small arms to 
throw themselves in the path of the enemy at Denby's 
Church. Arriving there in good time, a line of bat- 
tle was formed at Tanner's Creek Cross Roads, but 
we were soon ordered to continue the retreat to Nor- 
folk. When our rear guard had passed Indian Pole 
Bridge, it was set on fire, and when the enemy 
reached the north side he was unable to cross th6 
creek, so Wool was compelled to countermarch his 
troops and to take a more distant route, delaying his 
entry into Norfolk until five o'clock which gave our 
forces time to get out of the city. 

The "Jackson Grays" marched through Norfolk 
and crossed on the ferry steamer to Portsmouth. 
The boat was crowded with soldiers, citizens and 

63 



a pair of TBlankm 



women. Two pretty girls with whom I was quite 
well acquainted, said: ''Ar'n't you ashamed to desert 
us ?" I did feel quite abashed for I recalled the speech 
I had made receiving our flag from the ladies of 
Pleasant Grove, and the two girls were of the party 
which had made the presentation, I put it on military 
orders and obedience to superior authority, for really 
it was a trying ordeal to leave our homes and friends 
with little hope of returning. 

Everybody was excited in Portsmouth and great 
commotion existed in every direction. I halted my 
company at the court house to rest, and there we 
were called upon to destroy barrels of ardent spirits 
to prevent the enemy from getting it, and for a time 
the gutters on Court Street ran with ardent spirits. 

I had no orders and had to act upon my own re- 
sponsibility. My company was so fagged out with 
the movements of the day that we were not capable 
of a long march to escape the Federal forces which 
were expected over the ferry every hour. I pre- 
vailed upon the provost marshal to give us transpor- 
tation on the last train out of the city, and we rode 
upon flat cars of this train to Suffolk, and next day 
we were transported by train to Petersburg, and my 
"Blankets" went along with my luggage. I do not 
remember all of our movements in and about Peters- 
burg, but the first night we were quartered in a large 
building on Sycamore Street, and my "Blankets" 
served for cover, bare floor for bed and a brick for 
my pillow, and this was the hardest bed I had ex- 
perienced in my military life up to that time. Sev- 
eral unassigned companies joined our seventh bat- 

64 



a mit of 15lanUt$ 



talion here, and the 6ist Virginia Infantry Regiment 
was formed, and the "Jackson Grays" was designated 
as Company "A," Wilson Guards as "B," Blanchard 
Grays as "C," Jackson Light Infantry as "D," Border 
Rifles as "E," Isle of Wight Avengers as "F," Con- 
federate Defenders as "G," The Virginia Rangers as 
"H," Bilisoly Blues as "I," and Floyd Guards as "K." 
Gn the assembling of the company officers in Jar- 
rett's Hotel on the 226. of May, 1862, I was elected 
Major, and this promoted First Lieutenant Wm. C. 
Wallace to the captaincy of the company. My com- 
mission was issued by George W. Randolph, Secre- 
tary of War, on the fifteenth of July to date from 
the 226. day of May, and on the 23d day of May, my 
"one bay horse" was valued at $225 by a board of 
officers, called a board of survey. 

Our regiment was encamped on Dunn's Hill, on 
the north side of the Appomattox River; the authori- 
ties being advised of an expedition up the river with 
a view of destroying the railroad bridge and secur- 
ing a large quantity of coal stored at Port Walthall, 
companies "A" and "C" of our regiment under my 
command were sent down the river bank to resist the 
advance of the fleet by firing on them from the shore. 

On the 26th of June, 1862, the Federal fleet under 
command of Flag Officer John Rogers, reached the 
Point of Rocks. It consisted of the Port Royal, flag 
ship; Monitor, Island Belle, Mahaska, Miiratanza, 
Jacob Bell, Stepping Stones, Southiield, Delaware, 
and Satalite. Our infantry opened fire upon them 
from the cliffs of the rocky hills, with startling ef- 
fect, wounding a number of sailors. The vessels ran 

65 



a pair of IBlmkm 



aground, whether from the low tide or bad steering 
caused by the consternation of the infantry fire from 
the shore, I am not advised, but they were two days 
in getting off for retreat to the James River, and one 
vessel, the Island Belle, was burnt to prevent her from 
falling into the hands of the Confederates. So here 
again the "Jackson Grays" saw another "Back out" of 
the Monitor, and this was our last sight of her, for not 
long thereafter, on the 31st day of December, 1862, 
she foundered in a storm off Hatteras, and went to 
the bottom of the sea to be seen no more. Four 
officers and twelve men were lost with her but the 
rest of her crew was rescued by the U. S. ship Rhode 
Island, which was along as her tender. 

The great battles of the Peninsula had been fought 
and General Lee was marching on Manassas, when 
we were ordered from Petersburg, marched over the 
turnpike to Richmond, halted on Main Street to rest, 
and camped at Brook Church, and from there we 
were transported by rail to Gordonsville, soon find- 
ing ourselves camping on the Rapidan and helping to 
rebuild the railroad bridge. 



LETTER NO. 15. 
IN mahone's brigade. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Arriving at Gordonville two companies, *'E" and 
"F," were sent on to Staunton for provost duty under 
General Davidson, as there were large military stores 

66 



a Pait of ISlmkm 



there, part of which came from the captures of 
Stonewall Jackson from Banks. 

After the railroad bridge over the Rapidan was 
constructed, the eight companies of our regiment 
were ordered forward to Culpepper, Rappahannock 
station and Warrenton. 

While guarding these points, Col. Samuel M. Wil- 
son having resigned, an election was held to supply 
the vacancy. Col. V. D. Groner was elected by a 
majority of the company officers over Lieut. Col. Wm. 
F. Niemeyer, and our regiment was soon after as- 
signed to Mahone's Brigade. 

Three companies of the regiment and a detach- 
ment of cavalry from the 15th Va. Regiment under 
my command were ordered forward to Bristoe Sta- 
tion on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad to re- 
cover some of the spoils of the second great battle of 
Manassas, which took place on the 29th and 30th of 
August, 1862. 

We found a number of derailed locomotives, cars 
and other railroad material. On the 17th day of 
September, 1862, after we had retracked the engines 
and cars and sent them with most of the other truck 
to Richmond, a detachment of Federal cavalry from 
D. B. Birney's command, who had headquarters at 
the "Seminary,'' appeared before our pickets with a 
flag of truce requesting permission to bury or remove 
their dead. I at once suspected that it was a ruse 
to gain information as to the number of our forces, 
therefore I declined to receive the flag without first 
communicating with the authorities in Richmond, 
which would have required about three days. Upon 

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a Pair of IBlmkm 



my refusal the party retired, and General Birney 
communicating with his commanding officer said: 
"Flag of truce met by a party of Confederates at 
Bristoe Station, under command of Major Wm. H. 
Stewart, who stated that it would take three days to 
communicate with his general and declined to receive 
the flag." * * * "The force there was small and 
might be surprised and captured if I had authority to 
send a cavalry force against them." This authority 
was quickly given him and he sent his force forward, 
but in the meantime, I hurried up the balance of the 
work, had my train of flat cars loaded with the re- 
maining railroad material, while keeping full steam on 
the engine, and as soon as the cavalry pickets were 
driven in, I ordered the evacuation of Bristoe Sta- 
tion; three companies of infantry boarded the train 
and as our locomotive pulled out we saw in the dis- 
tance the enemy in large forces charging on the Sta- 
tion to find that the bird had flown. Our work had 
all been accomplished and the retreat made in the 
nick of time to save our capture by the overwhelm- 
ing force of the enemy sent against us. The enemy 
gradually threw his outposts forward and on the 27th 
day of September we had a lively fight at Catlett's 
Station. 

On the evening of the 15th day of November, 1862, 
General R. E. Lee directed Brigadier General W. H. 
F. Lee, commanding the cavalry, "To order the 61 st 
Virginia Volunteers, Col. Groner, commanding, and 
the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues, Capt. Grandy, 
commanding, to proceed at once to Fredericksburg. 
They will take the route by Stevensburg, crossing the 

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a pait of T5lmkm 



Rapidan at Racoon Ford, till they intersect the plank 
road to the city from Orange Court House to Fred- 
ericksburg. Should they learn that Fredericksburg 
is unoccupied by the enemy, they will pursue the 
plank road to the city, but should they learn of its 
occupation, they will fall back through Spottsylvania 
Court House, and take position on the Fredericksburg 
and Richmond Railroad, where it crosses the North 
Anna. After crossing the Rapidan, Col. Groner must 
send forward his staff officers to ascertain the best 
roads, prepare forage for his command, etc., at points 
where it will be needed. He will be careful on the 
march to permit no straggling, depredations upon 
citizens, country, etc., and be careful to pay for all 
articles consumed or give receipts for the same. I 
have the honor to be with great respect, etc., 

"R. E. Lee." 

This order to his son seems to have been written 
by the hand of General R. E. Lee without the inter- 
position of a staff officer, and it was most careful and 
minute in all directions for Col. Groner. These forces 
under our colonel promptly moved as directed by 
Gen'l Lee and reached Fredericksburg on the morn- 
ing of the 1 8th day of November, 1862. 

The advance of General Sumner's Federal troops 
arrived at Falmouth on the afternoon of the 17th, 
but they were confronted at Fredericksburg by Col. 
Ball's 15th Va. Cavalry, four companies of Mississippi 
Infantry, and Lewis' Battery of Horse Artillery, and 
did not attempt to cross the Rappahannock. 

On the night of the i8th Col. Groner distributed 

69 



a Pair of T5lmkm 



his men through the woods and caused them to build 
many bon-fires to create the impression upon the 
minds of the enemy that a large Confederate force 
confronted him. Thousands of rails from the worm 
fences of the farms served as fuel for these fires. 
The enemy did not cross that night, and the Army of 
Northern Virginia came up in good time. Whether 
the bon-fires made any impression upon the enemy 
could not be ascertained except by conjecture. As 
previously ordered the 6ist Va. Infant. Regt. now 
merged into Mahone's Brigade, of Anderson's Divi- 
sion, and as now constituted was composed of the 
6th, I2th, i6th, 41st and 61 st regiments and thus re- 
mained to the end. 



LETTER NO. 16. 
winter quarters and the december battle. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Burnside did not cross over the Rappahannock at 
this time, but estabhshed his headquarters and his 
great army in camp on Stafford Heights for a more 
convenient season to cross. The Army of Northern 
Virginia was encamped on the south of Fredericks- 
burg in the most available positions for resisting the 
advance of the enemy. We were located in a woods 
on the sunny side of some hills between Salem 
Church and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and 
Potomac Railroad. 

> 70 



a pair of TBlmkm 



My tent was pitched, and after the construction 
of a stick and clay chimney with a barrel stack, I had 
quite a cozy room with an open fire-place, and oak 
log fuel made fires delightfully comfortable in those 
bleak winter days. 

While sleeping in this tent on my straw pallet 
under my faithful "U. S. Navy Blankets," the long 
roll sounded to call us out for the December battle of 
Fredericksburg. We marched out and were placed 
on the left of the army behind a great hill, and the 
battle roared and thundered as never before heard 
around the historic old city. When Burnside was 
bombarding the city, the noble spirit displayed by the 
inhabitants, especially by the women and children, 
elicited the highest admiration. They abandoned 
their homes night and day during all the inclement 
weather, cheerfully and uncomplainingly, with only 
such assistance as our army wagons and ambulances 
could afford. We saw w^omen, girls and little chil- 
dren trudging through the mud to bivouac in the open 
fields. 

At last Burnside's grand army crossed over the 
river into the ill-fated city, assaulted the Army of 
Northern Virginia, was disastrously whipped, and he 
was doubtless glad when his broken and disheartened 
corps had recrossed the river and settled in their old 
positions on Stafford Heights. 

Although under artillery fire during the whole bat- 
tle our regiment was not actively engaged, had only 
one man wounded and none killed. Col. John Bowie 
Magruder of the 57th Virginia regiment of whom I 
shall write more particularly hereafter, wrote from 

71 



a pair of TSlmkm 



his camp near Fredericksburg, December 20th, 1862, 
the following account to his father. "As you have 
seen in the papers, the great battle of Fredericksburg 
has been fought and won. My regiment occupied a 
position in the immediate front on the line of battle, 
and was supported by Jenkins' South Carolina Bri- 
gade which was posted about 600 yards in our rear — 
I should have said that Armstead's Brigade was sup- 
ported by Jenkins' — Pickett's Division occupied the 
centre, and as the centre was not attacked, we had 
nothing to do. Armstead's Brigade occupied a line of 
rudely constructed breastworks, made by piling felled 
trees and digging a ditch in rear and throwing the 
earth upon the piled timber — ^the bush cut from the 
trees was thrown in front and against the timber, to 
prevent the Federals from charging it successfully. 
This line of breastworks was about two miles below 
the town, and about i^ miles from the river and 
immediately in front of the lower pontoon bridge over 
which Burnside crossed his army. It was in easy 
range of the Federal artillery, though as the centre 
was not attacked, they did not attempt to dislodge 
us. My regiment was thrown out on picket for one 
day and night about 600 yards in front of these 
breastworks and to the left of them, and distant from 
the Federal pickets about 300 yards, but nothing of 
any interest occurred. Not a single man in the en- 
tire brigade was wounded; in fact we can hardly be 
said to have been under fire, as the centre was not 
attacked, and only a few rambling shells flew over 
our heads. The Federals occupied a position a little 
to our left and front during the whole time, but re- 

72 



a ^ait of ISlmkm 



mained as quiet and peaceable as lambs. I had a fine 
view of the battle which raged very fiercely, a little 
to the right of our front, as we were just at the foot 
of a hill, and at the commencement of the broad 
open low lands of the river — a description of it is 
impossible and I should not attempt it in this short 
letter. The Federal column, perhaps 25,000 strong, 
suddenly moved up from near the river bank, in solid 
phalanx, and swept around to our right at a double 
quick, as if to flank our gallant army — on they moved 
in battle array — a splendid sight to behold — well 
might a tyro on our side tremble for the consequences 
— for not a gun from our side is heard — neither in- 
fantry nor artillery — not a Confederate soldier was 
to be seen, save 8 or 10 standing firmly by a few 
pieces of artillery posted just behind an eminence, 
several hundred yards in front of the Federal phalanx, 
and even these quietly and calmly receiving a mur- 
derous fire from the Federal Batteries on the other 
side of the river ; for, by intuition as it were, although 
this battery had not yet opened, and had not yet been 
unmasked, they guessed its whereabuts — onwards 
moves the Federal host, becoming more and more 
confident at every step^— now they near a piece of 
copse-wood, and sweep around as if to encircle it — 
just then a stream of fire is emitted from the gun 
surrounded by those undaunted 8 or 10, and scarcely 
has the sound reached you before your ears are deaf- 
ened by the long loud rattling musketry, the booming 
of fifty cannon at once, the bursting of shells and the 
dull "thug" of grape and canister — the battle on the 
right has commenced in earnest — ^yet not a Confed- 

73 



a Pair of mankm 



erate can be seen — the Federal host halts, wavers, 
falls back, is rallied and brought up again, this awful 
firing from cannon and muskets continuing all the 
while — see the Federal host again halts, wavers, and 
just now such a yell as almost rends the earth is heard 
above the rattling of musketry and the booming of 
cannon — the Confederates emerge from their ditches 
just in the edge of the woods and charge — the Fed- 
eral host fall back, halt, waver, run, fly, pell mell to 
the cover of their batteries — our men pursue and 
bring back many prisoners — again and again did the 
Federals move up and as often were they driven back 
— it was by far the most exciting scene I ever witnessed 
and I grew far more excited then than I ever did 
while engaged myself. The fighting was confined 
almost exclusively to the right and left wings — the 
centre was not attacked. I had quite a good view of 
the fighting on the right. 

About 12 M. on Tuesday, December i6, we re- 
turned to our present encampment, which is very 
•near our former camp. I then availed myself of the 
opportunity (for the Federals had retreated across the 
river) to ride over the tzvo battle fields, for they are 
separated by an interval of at least one and three- 
quarter miles in which there was no fighting. I never 
saw such carnage in my life — the wounded had all 
been removed (for this was Tuesday and the battle 
had been fought on Saturday), our dead had all been 
buried as well as many of the Federals, and yet there 
they still laid in heaps, in every conceivable position 
and mangled in every conceivable way. On the right 
the fighting was less concentrated, but the slaughter 

74 



a pair of TSlankm 



was more terrible — on the right the line extended for 
about one and one-quarter miles — on the left about 
a half mile. Even when I visited the left, although 
many Federals had been buried and many had been 
carried off by them in their retreat, one might have 
walked a quarter of a mile stepping from dead Fed- 
eral to dead Federal without once touching the ground 
— at the lowest calculation there were 2,500 killed on 
the right and not fewer than 2,000 killed on the left. 
Their entire loss in killed and wounded could not have 
been less than 12,000 — our loss was 1,7 S9y killed and 
wounded — not more than 350 killed — not a single can- 
non taken by either side — at one time we had pos- 
session of six, but they were taken again before they 
could be removed — not an inch was gained by the 
Federals, although they fought as well as usual. They 
took about 300 prisoners and we took about 1,200; 
many small arms, much ammunition, numerous knap- 
sacks, overcoats, canteens, etc., etc., were captured 
by us. Altogether it was one of the most brilliant 
victories of the war. Never before did our men be- 
have so well — never did an army occupy a better po- 
sition than General Lee's in the recent engagement — ■ 
it occupied every eminence, and was almost wholly 
concealed until the enemy came upon it, in nearly 
every instance occupied breastworks, and the hills and 
cliffs around seemed to have been formed with spe- 
cial reference to this very battle — the men were still, 
calm, cool, collected, and could therefore aim with pre- 
cision. The Federals, on the other hand, occupied the 
low flat land bordering on the river, had no breast- 
works, no commanding positions on which to place 

75 



3 pair of T5lmkm 



their artillery, knew not where we were, as they could 
not see us, had to advance, and naturally became ex- 
cited, which deranged their aim. 

The town is almost ruined ; there is scarcely a house 
which has not been struck more than once — two en- 
tire squares on Main Street have been burned — every 
house was ransacked and many valuables carried off. 
The Federals had possession of the town from Thurs- 
day at 12 M. till daylight Tuesday morning. It is 
said at General Lee's headquarters that Burnside was 
very anxious to renew the fight on Sunday, but 
Sigel, who joined him on Saturday with 25,000 men, 
swore that not one of his men should cross the river 
to fight Lee in such a position, and that all the com- 
manding officers of Burnside's army protested against 
it, on the ground that their men could not be induced 
to fight again in such a place — nothing was left for 
him therefore but to retreat. It is impossible to say 
what will happen next, but the opinion generally pre- 
vails that the army will change its base to the south 
side of the James, leaving Sigel to threaten and ad- 
vance on Richmond from this side — a deserter from 
the Federals, who came over last night, says that they 
are now very busy building v/inter quarters. The 
truth of this I will not vouch for, not much reliance 
to be put in such men." 

The deserter was truthful this time, for the Fed- 
erals did go into winter quarters. 

Colonel Magruder's figures given above are doubt- 
less from battle-field estimates, which were generally 
exaggerated, and therefore not free from error. The 
official reports were not then available, and since Gen- 

76 



a Patt of T6Ianbet0 



erai Lee's Adjutant General has put them down as 
follows: "The losses of the Federals, 12,653 — 1,284 
killed, 9,600 wounded, and 1,760 missing; and on the 
side of the Confederates, 5,322 killed and wounded." 
These figures are generally accepted as correct, but I 
believe our loss is over-estimated. 

I have given my account of this battle in "The 
Spirit of the South," and will not venture another 
description here. 

" 'Tis the soldier's life 
To have their balmy slumbers wak'd in strife." 
(Othello, Act II, Sc. 3.) 

The great dramatist may never have dodged his 
head from the whiz of a bullet, but the veteran of a 
dozen wars could never have so well described the 
uncertainty of a soldier's life in two lines. When 
in the peace of camp, with all the appearances of se- 
curity, then suddenly burst forth the fiercest fights. 

After the battle of Fredericksburg Mahone's men 
settled in camp near Salem church, about three miles 
from the city, with all the conveniences possible for 
Confederate soldiers, except rations and clothes, which 
were scant. 

The pastimes were varied from a game of seven-up 
to snow-ball battles. The latter were as frequently 
indulged in as the weather would permit, that is as 
often as the snow came. 

Mahone's and Wright's Brigades, usually opposing 
in regular array. Wavering fortunes attended these 
friendly contests, as in the bloody struggles with the 
Federals. 

7Z 



9 pair of ISIankcts 



Sometimes Mahone's men would capture Wright's 
ground, and then fickle fortune would permit the 
surrender of Mahone's camp ground. Spiders, pots 
and tin pans constituted the principal booty of the 
snow wars, but of course they would be returned after 
a treaty of peace. 

The smallpox invaded our camp and created some 
alarm, but with the exception of destroying the beauty 
of several soldiers no damage was sustained. 

On the 19th day of February, 1863, the Sixty-first 
Virginia Regiment struck their tents, which had been 
nicely fitted up with chimneys and bunks, to go on 
picket duty along the river bank in and adjacent to 
the city of Fredericksburg. 

The enemy was friendly, and very often ridiculous 
dialogues would take place between the outposts over 
the river and our men. And some evenings the bands 
of both armies would play "Home, Sweet Home," and 
the cheers of the soldiers would mingle and resound 
along both banks of the silent river. 



LETTER NO. 17. 

the gold mine camp. 

My Dear Nephews: 

On the 17th day of March, 1863, our regiment was 
relieved and ordered to join the brigade further up 
the river at the United States Ford. There our 
camp was located in a thicket of diminutive pines on 

78 



a pair of 15lmkm 



a low, undrained plane. Near the Ford is the gold 
mine formerly worked by the government. The glit- 
tering scales in the rocks and earth looked as worth- 
less to the soldiers as the sands on the seashore. 
This was a horrible place, for famine and plague 
demoralized the whole camp. The road approaching 
it was almost impassable and rations reached our sol- 
diers less frequently than biting necessity demanded. 
Boiling grass and sheep sorrel with an ounce or two 
of pork was commonly seen in the little tin buckets 
swinging over diminutive stick fires in front of the 
fly tents. Some of the soldiers were suffering with 
scurvy and resorted to grass diet, hoping for relief, 
and others to satisfy hunger. Soon after our loca- 
tion there, malarial fever broke out, to which man}^ 
poor fellows fell victims. Their uncoffined remains 
were buried near the mine and there their dust re- 
mains in unmarked graves, but to me their memories 
are most sacred. 

On the 28th day of April, 1863, ^ force of the 
enemy crossed the Rappahannock below Fredericks- 
burg to divert attention from the manoeuvre which 
contemplated a grand crossing at Kelly's Ford and 
Ely's Ford. On the 29th day of April, Hooker ef- 
fected a crossing at Germana Ford on the Rapidan, 
capturing sixty of our brigade pioneer corps, and 
having disclosed a large force, General Mahone with 
wonted sagacity quietly withdrew his small force by 
the old mine road, a short distance above Chancellors- 
ville. There a line of battle was formed and the men 
began to fortify with all possible haste. The night 
was dreadfully stormy, and the wet soldiers passed 

79 



a pair of iSlmkm 



the dark hours shivering in the cold. Just at the 
break of day firing was heard in front, which was 
thought to be our pickets firing off their wet guns; 
but it was soon discovered that the enemy was ad- 
vancing in heavy force and had captured nearly all 
of the Norfolk Juniors, commanded by Capt. Thomas 
F. Owens, which company constituted the outer picket 
line. 

Genl. William Mahone and his Adjutant General, 
Robertson Taylor, rode in front to reconnoitre, and 
discovering two horsemen, whom they took to be 
Confederates, being in gray uniforms, hastened for- 
ward to learn the news, but were utterly astounded, 
when within a short distance their supposed friends 
drew carbines and fired at them. This drew the ex- 
clamation from the general, *T believe our cavalry- 
men are drunk." These two officers had a very nar- 
row escape and found that the two gray cavalrymen 
were backed closely in the rear by a large force with 
blue uniforms. Genl. R. H. Anderson, commanding 
the Division, soon arrived on the field and ordered 
our small force to fall back slowly. We retreated to- 
wards Fredericksburg until we reached Zoar Church, 
and there formed a line of battle. The enemy pur- 
sued hotly and our men were forced to seek protec- 
tion from the aim of the sharpshooters. They soon 
killed one poor fellow, and Joe Sam Brown, of the 
Blues Battery, escaped from sudden death by a hair's 
breadth. He was standing behind a limber chest with 
his head resting on the lid, in the act of cutting a two 
second fuse, when a Belgian rifle ball struck the horse, 
passed through his flank, through the lid of the chest 

80 



a pair of TBlmkm 



and struck Mr. Brown on the breast; fortunately its 
force was sufficiently broken to save him with only a 
bruise. 

About eight hundred yards in front of our line of 
battle was McCarty's Farm across which ran a slight 
ridge, on which by the roadside stood a log crib. 
This house was occupied by the enemy's sharp- 
shooters, and they were exceedingly troublesome in 
firing at every man in sight. 



LETTER NO. i8. 
Mc carty's farm fight. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Early next morning May 1st, 1863, Generals Lee 
and Jackson rode up to the church, and after talking 
a few moments, an advance was ordered, and thus 
commenced the great battle of Chancellorsville. The 
two great generals rode away after General Lee had 
ordered the forward movement, and I never saw 
Jackson again. Our line of battle arose from the 
little earthwork which had been thrown up during the 
night and moved to the front in splendid style, evi- 
dently inspired by the presence of Lee and Jackson. 
The enemy stubbornly resisted, but were pushed back 
a half mile or more, and then they made a desperate 
stand. Mahone held a line across McCarty's Farm 
with his left resting on the turnpike near the log 
crib. Perry's Floridians were on the left just across 

81 



a Pait of OSlankew 



the road in a pine woods. The Norfolk Blues Bat- 
tery was unlimbered on both sides of the turnpike. 
The Twelfth Virginia Regiment had been thrown out 
in advance as skirmishers, but were soon forced by 
overwhelming numbers to fall back on the main line 
of battle. And then the battle raged with great fury, 
our line holding to its ground firmly, and finally, the 
enemy yielding, was driven back on Chancellorsville. 

One solid cannon shot ploughed through the right 
of our regiment, killing instantly Lemuel S. Jen- 
nings and George D. Bright, two of our best and 
bravest soldiers. On the left young Warren had his 
arm blown off by an exploding shell, a fragment 
wounded me on the leg, and the flesh from Warren's 
arm, at the same time, flew in my face, blinding me 
for a moment, and when I wiped it off with my hand 
I was sure it was flesh from my own cheeks. I did 
not learn better until I had washed my face at the 
spring down the hill, when a comrade told me my 
face was unscarred. 

A few minutes before this occurred a bullet struck 
my field glasses in the side pocket of my coat, break- 
ing both glasses in one barrel, making a hole through 
my coat, and passing on, under my arm, fortunately 
leaving only a slight bruise on my side. Capt. V. O. 
Cassell of Company "D" received a desperate wound, 
which caused the amputation of his leg, and Lieut. 
Alex. B. Butt, formerly of our regiment, but then ad- 
jutant of the 41st regiment, received a mortal wound. 
Wilson M. Kher, about seventeen years of age, was 
mortally wounded early in the action. I was very 
near him and noticed him particularly, because of his 

82 



a Pair of -IBlanfecw 



wonderful coolness. I saw him fire his musket with 
deliberate aim probably a dozen times, but at last as 
he was taking it from his shoulder to reload, a minie 
ball struck him in the eye and crushed through his 
head, his rifle fell to the ground from his grasp and 
turning to me, said: "Major, I am killed; tell my 
father my face was to the enemy." He calmly walked 
to the rear and died next day at the field hospital or 
on the hospital train en route to Richmond, I do not 
now remember, which. This scene thrilled my very 
soul even in the midst of battle, when bullets were 
flying like hail, and in deepest sympathy and in silent 
admiration, I watched the young hero, who felt the 
glory of dying for his country, walk down the hill 
towards the rear, where the field surgeon was located. 
Here was an exhibition of noble self sacrifice — of 
lofty patriotism — of courageous chivalry — of true 
nobility of soul worthy of commemoration. 

This touching incident has often recurred to me 
and made a more lasting impression than any obser- 
vation of the war through which I served. I never 
H^'.Jl.ie opportunity of delivering the sacred message 
'is boy hero, who now sleeps in an unmarked 
ve. He was a soldier of Virginia, but a native of 
North Carolina, sister states, sisters in community of 
interest, sisters now in peace, sisters then in war, bap- 
tised at the same altar of patriotism with the blood of 
their noblest heroes. 

If it was not such a sister, I should envy the birth- 
place of the noble boy, Private Wilson M. Kher, of 
Company "C," 6ist Virginia Regiment, of Currituck 
County, North Carolina. 

83 



a pair of OBIanfeets 



The gallant men of the Norfolk Light Artillery- 
Blues fought with the power of patriots and fairly 
beat the battery of United States regulars which was 
fighting them. The brave General Semms came dash- 
ing in at the head of his Georgia Brigade during the 
thickest of the iron hail to reinforce our left, and 
rode up to compliment the Blues, while the enemy 
were sending at them torrents of bullets and shells. 
W. C. Land, a noble young man, the only son of a 
widowed mother, was killed and among the wounded 
of this bloody fight were Lieut. Thomas Peete, Ser- 
geant J. C. Watters, John Day, John Wilkins, Joseph 
Floyd, Wm. McGowan and Melville Keeling, all of 
the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. 

Mahone, Perry and Posey pressing in front and 
Wright's brigade on the flank forced the enemy back 
to his trenches at Chancellorsville as night closed the 
conflict. 

LETTER NO. 19. 

STONEWALL JACKSON's GUNS. 

My Dear Nephews: ^"^-/^teiv 

On Saturday the second day of May, 186^, Ma- 
hone's Brigade was moved from the right of the 
Turnpike over the plank road and located behind 
temporary earthworks in a thicket of tall pines on the 
north side of the Catharpin road. There was heavy 
skirmishing in our immediate front all day; mean- 
while Jackson made the detour to strike the enemy 
on his right flank. 

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During the day the enemy discovered a gap be- 
tween Anderson's Division and Jackson's Corps, and 
with a strong force pressed down to the iron furnace, 
thereby cutting off communication with Jackson. 
Posey with his stern and steady Mississippians at- 
tempted to dislodge him, but was forced back until 
reinforced by Wright's Georgians, then Hooker's 
men were handsomely driven back. 

Late in the afternoon the enemy made an advance 
down the plank road with two brigades, but they were 
met by the Third Georgia Regiment and repulsed. 
This noble regiment had been skirmishing heavily 
all day, but steadily resisted the charges of the enemy 
and finally gallantly advancing, drove their assailants 
to the cover of their earthworks. 

We heard Jackson's guns open on Hooker's flank 
and gradually their sound came nearer, and the news 
of the success of his movement came to excite the 
enthusiasm of our troops to the highest degree, but 
when it was known that Jackson was wounded, all 
spirits dropped and poignant grief touched all hearts. 

At ' lylight Sunday morning the Army of Northern 
Virg a made a general advance and drove Hooker 
from Zhancellorsville down to the fords, his only 
hope d escape. Mahone's men marched from their 
position in the thicket by the flank, up the plank road, 
until within range of the enemy's battery. One poor 
fellow had his head taken off by a solid cannon shot 
on the opposite side of the road as we were moving 
by the flank; if it had landed on our side doubtless 
many in our ranks would have been killed. 

The formation of the line of battle was only the 

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work of a moment, and then the men rushed forward 
through the woods and thick undergrowth, over the 
abattis, mounting and capturing the breastworks, and 
then as the yelling and charging army corps joined, 
we saw victory dawn upon the army of the peerless 
Lee. 

There was a great "rebel" yell when Chancellors- 
ville was captured and Hooker's grand army forced 
towards the fords of the Rappahannock. Our bri- 
gade was ordered to close its ranks quickly to press 
forward towards the river. The "Little Corporal" 
(Mahone), almost dancing in his stirrups, gave the 
command "Forward." I well remember how the lit- 
tle general would gather up his reins, straighten his 
legs in the stirrups and throw his body forward when 
giving the command "Forward" to his brigade. His 
peculiar manner seemed to indicate a desire to assist 
the men in the first movement of their legs. The 
head of the column was turned down the Mine road 
and hurried in pursuit of Hooker, but had gone only 
a short distance, before a counter-march was ordered 
back to Salem Church; this was about eleven o'clock 
in the forenoon. 

The scant line which had been left to hold the 
fortifications at Fredericksburg had been driven out 
by a heavy column of the enemy under General 
Sedgwick. Famous Mayre's Hill had been captured, 
and about twenty-two thousand soldiers were ad- 
vancing rapidly to relieve Hooker, hoping that they 
might crush Lee between their two great armies as 
by an upper and nether mill stone. 



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LETTER NO. 20. 
salem church battle. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Marching at quick step Mahone reached Salem 
Church about four o'clock in the afternoon, when 
Wilcox's little band of people was sorely pressed by 
Sedgwick. Mahone gave the order in person, and as 
quick as thought the 61 st regiment was deployed as 
skirmishers and advanced at double-quick into a pine 
thicket on the left of the road, where it made a 
stand. 

Three times Sedgwick's people moving over an 
open field in order as beautiful as on a dress parade 
charged towards the woods, and three times did our 
gallant riflemen repulse them and hurl them back in 
disorder. Our men held this ground until a flank- 
ing column forced them to retire. Just about this 
time Semmes with his dashing Georgians reached the 
field and formed behind a bush fence, and mistaking 
our retreating skirmishers for the enemy, fired a vol- 
ley into them. Col. V. D. Groner with great self- 
possession rushed to Semmes' line, made known his 
command and prevented another volley, which might 
have mowed down our little band like grass before 
the reaper. Fortunately the first volley was too high 
to do much damage, but it taught a lesson, and when 
the Federal column came sweeping down on the 

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a pair of IBlmkm 



Georgians, they fired low with such effective slaughter 
as to break and defeat Sedgwick's charging column. 
The men of the 6ist regiment leaped over Semmes' 
line and while under a galling fire and a storm of 
bullets and shells, Col. Groner seized the colors and 
ordered a rally, which was as beautifully executed 
as they had ever performed on drill. Lieut. C. W. 
Murdaugh fell desperately wounded, while bravely 
leading his men to the colors, and carried the ounce 
of lead in his body to his death in 1904. The brave 
and heroic conduct of Col. V. D. Groner, and the sol- 
dierly manner in which his regiment executed the 
whole movement in advancing, retreating and rally- 
ing drew the highest encomiums from every officer 
and soldier who witnessed it. The regiment was 
then marched to the left and placed in line of battle, 
but was not again that day actively engaged. By 
night Sedgwick's people had been repulsed along the 
whole line and soundly beaten by a comparatively 
small force. This closed a second battle on the Holy 
Sabbath of May 3rd, 1863, in both of which Ma- 
hone's brigade had been hotly engaged. 

When these series of battles commenced a general 
court martial was in session near Salem Church, hold- 
ing its sessions in a large tent. I was a member. It 
was composed of thirteen officers, an unlucky num- 
ber. Col. Young L. Royston of the 8th Alabama 
Regiment was president and Capt. Charles Haynes 
Andrews of Georgia was judge advocate. It imme- 
diately adjourned on the advance of Hooker's army, 
and the members returned to their respective com- 
mands, and all were killed or wounded before the 

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sun of that sacred Sabbath day had set. The gallant 
and accomplished Captain Charles H. Andrews was 
desperately wounded in the charge of the third Geor- 
gia regiment hereinbefore mentioned. 

On the fourth day of May our forces were moved 
to Bank's Ford to cut off if possible the retreat of 
Sedgwick's army. There we were subjected to a 
heavy shelling from the heavy artillery on the north 
side of the Rappahannock river. Being under the 
impression that we had completely surrounded the 
Federals, and bottled them up, we quietly awaited the 
hour of capitulation, but to our utter amazement they 
forced the stopper and escaped in the night time by 
marching over the river on a mill dam, and on the 
dreary morning of the fifth day of May there was not 
an armed foe in our front on the south side of the 
river. 

Marching orders were given and in a pouring rain 
storm we trudged from two o'clock in the afternoon 
to five o'clock, arriving at Chancellorsville as wet as 
drowned rats, where we camped for the night, and 
there my "Blankets" stood by me in time of need. 
On the morning of the sixth of May we marched to 
the United States Ford, but every armed foe had 
gone over the river, and then we returned to Salem 
Church to rest on our old camp ground. This closed 
the eighth day of fighting and marching with little 
rest, within which time Mahone's men were engaged 
in four pitched battles and had marched over the field 
of Chancellorsville five times. 



89 



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LETTER NO. 21. 
marching to the invasion. 

My Dear Nephews: 

"How sweetly smiled the hill and vale 
And all the landscape round." 

For June had just spread her profusion of lovely 
flowers over the fields, and the woods and groves 
were clad in her beautiful raiment of green, when 
Salem Church encampment was broken for the last 
time by the alarm of battle, and the drowsy soldiers 
gathered from their tents before the east gave her 
light, for a march towards Fredericksburg. After 
I the three days' bivouac of Mahone's brigade behind 

the gates of this ruined and desolate city, on the sixth 
day of June, 1863, it was formed in line of battle 
along the famous stone wall that guarded Marye's 
Heights. There it remained to meet any advance 
that might be attempted by Hooker's Army, until the 
y 13th day of June, when it started on the invasion of 

i Pennsylvania, marching through the lonely depths of 

the "Wilderness," over its silent battle fields with the 
new made graves, bullet marked trees and broken 
shrubs; over the army trodden fields of Culpepper 
and Rappahannock, crossing the Blue Ridge on the 
19th through Chester Gap. We reached the summit 
about noon; the troops were halted for a short rest 

90 



a pait of ISlanfeets 



and quenched their thirst from a cool spring pouring 
out of a crevice in the ponderous rocks piled on the 
side of the highway. It seemed to me to be the cool- 
est, clearest and most delightful water ever found in 
the pathway of tired troops. 

While going over the mountain I saw the most 
beautiful landscape that had ever before appeared to 
my vision. The village of Front Royal nestling in 
the green hills at the foot of the Western slope and 
the proud valley of the Shenandoah spread out in 
majestic robes made a marvelous and glorious pic- 
ture. The rivers and streams were gleaming like 
threads of silver on emerald fields, the golden wheat 
was shimmering in the sunlight, the verdure of the 
oak forests was trembling in the gentle swellings of 
the wind, the lawns of clover were bowing to its 
sweep, and all were circled with the blue lines of the 
distant mountains and domed with marble skies. A 
sight upon which the eyes of the gods might feast, 
and well calculated to make troubled man forget for 
a moment the ills of life and be happy while behold- 
ing the beauties of nature's blended glories. 

As night came on the clouds gathered, and while 
we were fording the Shenandoah, waist deep, their 
flood gates opened and poured torrents on our 
heads; soaking wet the soldiers dreamed away the 
night in an open field about a mile beyond the river. 
I lodged on a great rock which I found near a fence, 
and wrapping my faithful "blankets" about me slept 
delightfully till the long roll of the kettle drum called 
for the ''fall in." Our line of march was through 
White Post, Berryville, Jeffersontown, Charlestown 

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a pait of IBlmktts 



and Sheppardstown, where on the evening of the 23d 
day of June, General Lee issued an order forbidding 
trespassing and enjoining respect for the rights of 
private property while in the enemy's country. On 
the 24th day of June, 1863, we forded the Potomac, 
leaving the Confederacy and entering the domain of 
the United States. 



LETTER NO. 22, 
in the enemy^s country. 

My Dear Nephews: 

The morale of the Army of Northern Virginia was 
perfect : flushed with the great victory of Chancellors- 
ville, and reinforced by Pickett's magnificent division, 
which had been temporarily detached to make a diver- 
I sion in the direction of Suffolk, each soldier feeling 

himself superior to three of the enemy, made no cal- 
culation for defeat and proudly marched on the 
enemy's soil with the air of conqueror. 

General Lee also believed his army invincible, for 
he had seen it on so many fields powerful, almost be- 
/ yond human endurance and courage; and his army 

i had perfect confidence and love for him, its com- 

mander-in-chief. There was an army and chieftain 
of which every member from teamster to lieutenant- 
general gave loyalty and fidelity in truest pride and 
abiding love. 

We soon reached Sharpsburg, the renowned battle- 
field, and then moved on through Keysville, Boons- 

\ 92 



a pait of TBlmkm 



boro, Funktown and Hagerstown in the state of 
Maryland. On the 26th day of June, we entered 
Pennsylvania, marched through Middleburg and 
Greencastle, and bivouacked four miles south of 
Chambersburg. The ladies of the Keystone state 
received us v^ith waiving Union flags, the men with 
silent contempt, and the Dutch women with horrid 
imprecations. 

One pretty girl of a bevy, who was greeting the 
^'Rebels" with waving star-spangled banners, on see- 
ing the commander-in-chief, dropped her flag, clapped 
her delicate hands together and exclaimed, "Oh, I 
wish he was ours." The Dutch women were par- 
ticularly bitter when our men went to buy buttermilk 
and eggs with Confederate money, saluting them 
with fierce frowns and giving parting shots with ter- 
rible oaths. 

The Cumberland valley, though not so grand in 
scenery as the Shenandoah, is a fertile and most de- 
lightful country. It is cut up in small farms, well 
tilled, and owned principally by sturdy and indus- 
trious Germans and their descendants. Their barns 
are larger and much more costly than their resi- 
dences; for stock is their especial pride. The horses 
were very large, having hoofs almost the size of a 
peck measure, and were not at all suitable for 
Hampton's cavalrymen. On the morning of the 27th 
day of June, while our column was marching through 
Chambersburg, General Lee met Generals A. P. Hill 
and R. S. Ewell, who were riding at the head of our 
column, about the center of the town, and there they 
halted for a short consultation, A number of citi- 



93 



a pair of iBlmkm 



zens having gathered on the sidewalks, some one 
exclaimed, alluding to General Lee, "What a large 
neck he has!" and a soldier in the ranks replied: 
*'Yes, it takes a d n big neck to hold his head !" 

Notwithstanding General Lee's strict order, en- 
joining respect for private property, some of the sol- 
diers would snatch up a chicken now and then, and 
hide it in their haversacks as they marched along. 
At the first bivouac in Pennsylvania some of the 
Georgians pursued a goose into General R. H. Ander- 
son's tent, but begged off under the pretext that "it 
was a stray goose!" With rare exceptions the men 
behaved as gentlemen and obeyed General Lee's 
order most scrupulously. Our regiment was detailed 
for provost duty in Chambersburg, and I was made 
provost marshal, but this office was of short dura- 
tion, for at three o'clock in the afternoon we were 
ordered to Fayettesville, a village of one street about 
a mile long, which is about four miles from Cham- 
bersburg, where we camped until July ist, 1863. 

Mrs. Kate S. Macnight recently writing her recol- 
lections as a school girl of the occupation of Cham- 
bersburg, Pa., by the Confederates, says : "Our home 
was on Main street, and during the invasion of 
General Lee, it took ten days of continuous marching 
for his army to pass our house. Well do I remem- 
ber the sinking of our hearts as regiment after regi- 
ment passed, each one led by its regimental band. 
During all this time we were in ignorance of the 
movement of our own men. I gazed with admira- 
tion on General Robert E. Lee as he rode by to his 
headquarters followed by thirty aids. During Lee's 

94 



a pair of 15lanket0 



occupation a guard was stationed night and day at 
each house, so that the soldiers could not enter a pri- 
vate house, and discipline was so perfect, we slept as 
peacefully as if surrounded by our own men. I saw 
them waiting by the oven door while one old colored 
cook took out her pan of biscuit, which they ate red- 
hot, accompanied by slices of dried beef cut from the 
round she had been slicing for our own tea. I some- 
times leaned from a second story window and asked 
information from the guard as to the names of the 
generals as they approached at the head of the differ- 
ent brigades. One day noticing an unusually fine 
looking man I inquired who he was and learned that 
he was General Barksdale of Mississippi." She says 
she afterwards saw him in a hospital in Gettysburg 
Avhere a day or two after he died. His brigade be- 
longed to our division and we lamented his death as 
much as his own brave Mississippians. 

Mrs. Macnight's father was a noted Federal sur- 
geon, who was medical director of all the hospitals 
in her town, and her good words must be most highly 
appreciated by the survivors of the army of Lee, al- 
though she draws too much upon her imagination as 
to the time it took our army to pass through the town 
and the number of General Lee's aids. 



95 



3 pair of OSIanbetg 



LETTER NO. 23. 
marching on" to gettysburg. 

My Dear Nephews: 

On going into camp near Fayetteville our soldiers 
captured in a church an elegant repast that had been 
prepared by the citizens for their soldiers, whose 
term of enlistment had just expired, and for two days 
our boys enjoyed the feast and ate with knives and 
forks from china plates, but marching orders on July 
1st, 1863, destroyed all this luxury and ease. The 
pleasure and plenty were of short duration, and so it 
goes with a soldier's life. 

We crossed the Cumberland mountains, through 
the gap near Fayetteville, passing the smoking ruins 
of Thad. Stevens' great iron works, and bivouacked 
in an oak woods near Gettysburg, from which Heth's 
valorous troops had already driven the enemy. 

General Heth had steadily pressed back Meade's 
troops over two miles, when he was reinforced by 
Pender and Rhodes, and they together forced the 
enemy to seek the protection of Cemetery Ridge, 
handsomely capturing the town of Gettysburg. A 
sharp contest was raging when we arrived and I saw 
from our position the enemy falling back towards 
Cemetery Ridge. General Heth was wounded and 
the command of his troops devolved on Gen. James J. 
Pettigrew, a gallant and distinguished son of the Old 

96 



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North State, who was afterwards killed at Falling 
Waters. 

More than five thousand prisoners, three pieces of 
artillery and several colors were captured in the first 
day's fight on the soil of Pennsylvania. 

The Federals thus defeated, determined to make a 
stand on Cemetery Ridge, a long row of hills run- 
ning south of Gettysburg, bending eastward, and ter- 
minating in Gulp's Hill, and on the left in Round Top 
I\Iountain. Our army occupied Seminary Ridge, a 
lower ridge about a mile distant. On the morning 
of the second of July our brigade (Mahone's) moved 
forward and was placed in line of battle behind a 
small grove of large oaks, to support Mcintosh's 
Artillery, which was then unlimbered on the east of 
this grove, along the line of a stone fence that over- 
looked the open field between the hostile lines. 
Longstreet's First Corps formed the right, Ewell's 
second corps the left, and A. P. Hill's third corps, to 
which we were attached, the center of the Army of 
Northern Virginia. Pickett's division of three bri- 
gades, about four thousand five hundred strong, in 
camp six miles from Ghambersburg, received march- 
ing orders this morning and followed our route. 

While marching through the Gap in the Cumber- 
land mountains, bushwhackers annoyed the column 
by firing upon it from the rocky fastnesses. At four 
o'clock in the afternoon it reached a point five miles 
west of Gettysburg, having made a march of twenty- 
three miles, and halted for the night. 

The fighting on our right and left was very heavy 
during the afternoon, but we were not ordered from 

9Z 



a pair of IBlanbets 



our position until night, when, for some reason un- 
known to subordinates, after moving in Hne of battle 
for some distance across a wheat field, we were re- 
called and ordered to our old position. It was a 
moonlight night when we marched through the 
wheat field, and we were sure that we were there to 
make a night charge upon the works of the enemy. 
Night charges are the most dreaded of all fighting 
by soldiers, and you may know we were rejoiced by 
the recall on this occasion. 

About five o'clock on this afternoon, Wilcox and 
Wright of our Division made a brilliant dash on the 
enemy's works. The brave Georgians gained the 
crest of the ridge and drove the enemy down the 
opposite side. Although closely supported by the 
Alabamians, both columns were so vigorously at- 
tacked at the same time, on front and flanks, as to 
compel retreat without the artillery they had cap- 
tured. Hood made a desperate charge on Round 
Top, and Ewell's people had gained ground on the 
left. The results of the day encouraged General Lee 
for a renewal of the attack next day. 



LETTER NO. 24. 
the charge on cemetery heights. 

My Dear Nephews : 

On the 3rd day of July, 1863, at three o'clock in 
the morning, Pickett's Virginians added twenty 
rounds of cartridges to the thirty already in their 

98 



a pair of 15Ianket0 



boxes, and slowly marched towards the front, ar- 
riving on Longstreet's line, to whose corps they be- 
longed, about ten o'clock in the morning. The whole 
morning was consumed manoeuvring, and these were 
long hours of breathless anxiety, for the very still- 
ness of the air seemed to foretell the iron storm that 
commenced at one o'clock in the afternoon, fringing 
the crests of the frowning hills with the lurid glare 
of two hundred artillery guns, whose terrible thunder 
resounded like some hidden volcano, bursting from 
the center of the earth and scattering the smoking 
fragments of its bowels over the trembling hills. 
During this terrible cannonade the shot and shell 
made the air hideous with their shrieks and ploughed 
the earth in bloody furrows. Now and then, on 
either side, a well trained gun would drop a shell on 
a magazine, which would send a blazing spout of 
smoke high up towards the sky, leaving around the 
wreck dead and wounded gunners, weltering in 
blood. 

All, majestic! grand! sublime! awful! For two 
hours this mighty duel raged, and as the dial marked 
the hour of three, two divisions of infantry rose in 
line of battle under the hailing thunderbolts of war, 
and at the word of command fearlessly pressed to- 
wards the triple-armed hills of their foe. 

Pettigrew's brave legions charged from the left, 
and Pickett's proud Virginians majestically moved 
forward from the right, the lines converging so as 
to touch flanks at the works of the enemy. At this 
supreme moment the fire of our artillery slackened, 
for the ammunition was almost exhausted, and then 



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the enemy's guns on the ridge In front and from the 
cemetery were concentrated on Pettigrew's advanc- 
ing column and at the same time a heavy infantry 
force was thrown against it, forcing the highest cour- 
age to yield, and making those brave men recoil from 
the charge. 

Pickett's column swept grandly onward, gaining 
the works of the enemy, fighting fiercely almost hand 
to hand for a moment, driving the infantry supports 
from the front line, then defiantly holding many 
pieces of artillery until their left flank and front were 
overwhelmingly assaulted by fresh columns of infan- 
try, which overpowered and crushed the dauntless 
few who had planted their battle flags on the stone 
bastions of the cemetery. Then four hundred un- 
officered soldiers, the remnant of the charging four 
thousand, sullenly retired. The rest were killed, 
wounded and captured. Two brigadier generals 
were killed, one desperately wounded and all the field 
officers killed or wounded except one. 

Wilcox's brigade protected the retreat by a galling 
fire from an orchard on the right and prevented the 
enemy, from pursuing. 

Before the order for the charge, while the cannon 
were booming and the shells cutting the limbs from 
the trees on Seminary Ridge, and scattering frag- 
ments over the ranks of the soldiers, an adjutant at 
his post was sitting on the root of an oak reading 
his Testament. 

W. H. McHorney, one of Pickett's men, says: 
"When I was lying down in line of battle, I had my 
cartridge box knocked aside by a shell that cut my 

lOO 



3 pait of m&nktts 



lieutenant in two; when the line rose to charge it 
appeared that as many were left dead and wounded 
as got up, but the ranks closed up and went forward ; 
the air was filled with smoke and I could see nothing 
in front of me except the blaze from, the vents and 
muzzles of the cannon. I went forward until near 
the stone wall, then I saw only two things to do, go 
forward and be captured or risk a retreat. I decided 
to turn back and got out safely." 

A man of Company "D," ninth regiment, named 
Byrd, was wounded on the charge, shot in the arm. 
He asked the lieutenant commanding to allow him 
to "fall out," protesting his inability to use his rifle. 
The sergeant interposing, said : "Lieutenant, they 
have winged our bird." Byrd was allowed to "fall 
out," but was killed on his retreat to the rear. 

Lieut. Wm. F. Tonkin, commanding Company 
"G," ninth regiment, says : "When we were lying in 
line ready for the charge, a shell struck a small tree 
and splintered it on the side. General Armistead 
walked up to it and pulled ofif a long splinter, and 
turning to us waving it in his hand, said : "Boys, 
do you think you can go up under that? It is pretty 
hot out there." "Soon after another shell wounded 
Colonel Aylett." 

General Annistead gave the command in his loud- 
est tone of voice: "Attention, Battalion, Third, 

THE battalion OF DIRECTION, FORWARD, GUIDE, CEN- 
TER, MARCH." He then put his hat on the point of 
his sword, waving it around, led in front. I was 
wounded and did not get far enough to see him fall." 
This testimony of men w^ho were in the charge will 

Id 



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give you an idea of the heroism and courage of the 
Virginians on that field. 

**From the time men first met men in deadly strife, 
no more unflinching courage was ever displayed by 
the veteran troops of the most martial people than 
the battle of Gettysburg, witnessed in the determined 
valor of Pickett's Division of Virginians. They bore 
themselves worthy of their lineage and state." 

Yes, they made a name that will sound down all 
the ages, thrill unborn heroes, and inspire all genera- 
tions to emulate their courage. All praise for the 
imperishable glory of these noble men. While others 
dared their full duty, Pickett's men crowned the bat- 
tle of Gettysburg with everlasting renown by their 
sublime and astounding courage. 

General Lewis A. Armistead fell while waving his 
hat upon his sword, although it now rested upon the 
hilt, and with his left hand upon a captured gun, like 
a true hero and faultless soldier. Col. John Bowie 
Magruder of his 57th regiment was shot mounting 
the stone wall, pointing to the enemy's guns, and 
shouting to his men : "They are ours." 

So, many other heroes died there at the very gates 
of victory. 

LETTER NO. 25. 
john bowie magruder. 

My Dear Nephews: 

John Bowie Magruder was bom in Scottsville, 
Albemarle County, Virginia, on the 24th day of No- 

102 



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vember, 1839, was mortally wounded at Gettysburg, 
Pa., July 3rd, and died in a Federal hospital on the 
5th day of July, 1863. 

He was the oldest son of the Honorable Benjamin 
H. Magruder and Maria Minor, daughter of Dr. 
James Minor, and a great-grandson of Garrett Minor, 
member of the "Committee of Safety" in 1775 for 
Louisa County, and its representative in the legisla- 
ture in 1773. The family moved to "Glenmore," 
near Monticello, the home of Jefferson, when John 
was five years old. He was educated at private 
schools, and matriculated at the University of Vir- 
ginia in 1856, receiving the degree of Master of Arts 
in June, i860. 

His plan was to teach one year and after that to 
take a course at the University of Heidelberg, Ger- 
many, preparatory to studying law. When the tocsin 
of war sounded in the spring of 1861, he was teaching 
at E. B. Smith's Academy in Culpepper county. He 
at once gave up the position and his cherished plans 
for still higher education and a profession, to take a 
course in military tactics at the Virginia Military 
Institute. 

After a short term there he returned home, organ- 
ized a military company called the "Rivanna Guards," 
and was commissioned its captain July 22nd, 1861. 
This company was first assigned to the 32nd Virginia 
Infantry regiment and on September 23rd, 1861, was 
transferred to the 57th regiment and designated as 
Company "H." 

This regiment was first commanded by Col. E. F. 
Kean, who was in April, 1861, succeeded by Col. 

103 



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Lewis A. Armistead, the celebrated brigadier, who 
led the magnificent charge on Cemetery Heights at 
Gettysburg and lost his life at "high water mark." 

Captain Magruder's first independent field serv^ice 
was on the south side of the James, where we find 
him on the 29th of April, 1862, in command of Fort 
Dillard, on the Chowan river, in North Carolina, 
which was then garrisoned by about 250 men, but he 
was called to the north side in time for the great 
struggle around Richmond with McClellan's grand 
army, and in the bloody charge at Malvern Hill lost 
2"/ men of his company, half the number present, in 
about forty minutes. The soldierly bearing and 
superb courage of Magruder attracted the attention 
of his superiors in rank, and he soon rose from the 
line to a field officer. He won his spurs as lieutenant 
colonel on the 23 rd of July, 1862, and then on the 
I2th of January, 1863, was promoted to colonel of 
the famous Fifty-seventh Virginia Infantry, having 
brought it to the highest standard in the Confederate 
army. On the 9th of December, 1862, it numbered 
890 members and 576 were present for duty. It ap- 
peared when in line and in motion on drill, so much 
larger than most of the regiments in the army, that 
it was nearly always mistaken for a brigade. Its 
strength and efficiency was largely due to its com- 
mander, who was ever vigilant and strictly attentive 
to his official duties. Col. Clement R. Fontaine, the 
last colonel of this glorious regiment, said of him: 
"Colonel Magruder by a system of strict discipline, 
drills, etc., soon brought the regiment to a degree of 
efficiency never before attained. Not even under 

104 



a pair of ISlnnkm 



General Armistead was the regiment in so good a 
trim for effective service as Magruder had it." 
Colonel Fontaine, who knew him intimately, said : 
"He was a man of rare excellence, both in point of 
education and natural ability. He promised to make 
his mark in any sphere he might be called to occupy. 
Had he survived the battle of Gettysburg, he would 
have been made a brigadier. That was the sentiment 
of the whole brigade." 

Like the great Napoleon he was much 3^ounger 
than the officers whom he commanded, which caused 
him to be reserved in his associations with them, but 
he was always kind and courteous. 

He was ever thoughtful of his privates and saw 
that they received whatever should come to them, and 
lent a sympathetic ear to their troubles. 

April 7th, 1863, he was president of a general 
court martial and also president of a board of officers 
appointed under act of Congress for the retirement 
and removal of incompetent and inefficient officers. 
When he was twenty-three years old, he was given 
another independent command, made up of the nth, 
17th and 57th Virginia regiments, Macon's Battery 
of four pieces of artillery and one company of cav- 
alry. This force was posted on the highway leading 
to Edenton, N. C, from Suffolk, Va., which latter 
place Longstreet was besieging in order to allow his 
quartermasters and commissaries to gather supplies 
for the Army of Northern Virginia, from the tide- 
water section. Pickett with the rest of his division 
was holding the Somerton road. The enemy made 
an attack upon Magruder's line on the 21st day of 

105 



a Pair of IBlankm 



I 



March, 1863, but it was summarily repulsed. On the 
24th the enemy came again with large reinforcements 
and they were most disastrously defeated. 

The Federals were under command of General 
Michael Corcoran of the celebrated Irish Brigade. 
Their reports say his force consisted of about five 
thousand infantry, with five hundred cavalry and ten 
pieces of artillery. 

Col. Francis Buel of the 169th New York Infantry 
was severely wounded, and his lieutenant colonel re- 
ported that his regiment was placed far in advance 
of all others in support of Battery "D," Fourth U. S. 
Artillery, and unflinchingly faced a continuous and 
unabating shower of shell, grape and cannister from 
the well directed fire of the enemy, until orders were 
received to retire. This is a high compliment to 
Col. Magruder, coming as it does from the enemy, 
whose loss in men and equipment was larger than 
he was willing to admit. The splendid generalship 
displayed by the young commander was not over- 
looked by his immediate superior officer, who recog- 
nized it in the following order: 

"Headquarters Pickett's Division, April 25th, 1863. 
Colonel : — The Major General commanding directs 
me to say that it affords him great pleasure to ac- 
knowledge the important services of yourself and 
command during the time that you held the impor- 
tant position on the White Marsh Road. All the dis- 
positions you made to receive the enemy, and espe- 
cially the manner in which you received them, and 
notwithstanding their greatly superior numbers, re- 

106 



a pair of ai3Ianket0 



pulsed them, meets with special approval. He de- 
sires you to express his approval in orders to Ma- 
con's Battery, the Eleventh Infantry, Kemper's Bri- 
gade, the Seventeenth Virginia Infantry, Corse's 
Brigade, and your own gallant regiment, the Fifty- 
seventh." 

Very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 
Ro. Johnson^ A. A. A. G. 

Upon receiving this Colonel Magruder issued his 
general order of congratulations to his troops con- 
veying General Pickett's expression of approval and 
his own high estimate of their conduct. 

General James Longstreet ordered his troops to 
withdraw from the seige of Suffolk on the night of 
the fourth of May, and the Fifty Seventh regiment 
marched from its location to Richmond, where it re- 
mained about a week ; thence it moved to an encamp- 
ment within two miles of Hanover Junction, where 
preparations were made for the advance into Penn- 
sylvania. 

Colonel Magruder in a letter to his brother under 
date of May 23rd, 1863, said: "I enjoyed myself 
much while stationed near Richmond, visited the city 
very frequently, saw many of my old friends and 
acquaintances, and spent all t^e money I could get. 
Everything bears the very highest price, among other 
things I paid $110 for the simple making and trim- 
ming of a uniform coat, $45 for a pair of shoes, $10 
per day board at the hotel, and $5 per day for my 
horse at the livery stable. How in the world the 

107 



a pair of IBlmkm 



people of Richmond manage to live, I can't well see. 
Beef is $2 per pound and everything else in propor- 
tion." You may well imagine that there were hard- 
ships and suffering for the people out of the army, 
as well as for the soldiers in the field. 

On the 24th day of June, Pickett's Division crossed 
the Potomac River at Williamsport, and bivouacked 
on the Maryland shore. It entered Chambersburg on 
the 27th day of June, marched directly through the 
town, and encamped on the York road about four 
miles out. The Division was detained here three or 
four days, destroying railroad depots, work shops and 
public machinery. 

On the morning of the second day of July, 1863, 
at two o'clock, it took up the line of march to Gettys- 
burg, marching twenty-three miles, and within three 
miles of that place, before it halted to rest. Early 
next morning it moved towards the line of battle and 
in the afternoon made the great charge which shat- 
tered and immortalized Pickett's splendid division. 

John Bowie Magruder fell mortally wounded 
within a few steps of the enemy's cannon, shouting 
to his men, 'They are ours." He was struck by two 
shots — one in the left breast and the other under the 
right arm, crossing in the breast. He was made 
prisoner on the spot where he so gloriously fell, mor- 
tally wounded. 

He was carried to the Federal hospital in Gettys- 
burg, and there languished until July 5th, 1863, when 
his noble spirit took its flight. He was a member of 
the "Epsilon Alpha Fraternity," and a frater caused 
his remains to be encased in a metalic coffin, and with 



a pair oe IBlanketsi 



all his personal effects, sent to his father by flag of 
truce to Richmond, October loth, 1863. He was 
buried at "Glenmore," his father's home in Albe- 
marle County, Va. 

The life of young Magruder must be a mark of 
encouragement for those who seek good and patriotic 
ends. 

His cousin, James Watson Magruder, himself 
afterwards killed on the battlefield (at Meadow 
Bridge on May 11, 1864), writing from camp near 
Fredericksburg, August 8th, 1863, said : 'Trom in- 
formation, John now sleeps among the gallant spirits, 
who that day bore our banner so nobly against the 
ramparts of the enemy on the battlefield in a foreign 
land. 

If so, he died with his laurels thick around him. 
I saw him in Loudon (county) a short while before 
the army left Virginia, looking better and in better 
spirits than I ever knew him. It almost disposes me 
to quarrel with the decrees of heaven when he, the 
noblest of us all, in the flower of his youth, is thus 
untimely cut off. Why could not other men, who 
might be better spared, be taken in his stead? But 
our country demands the noblest for her altars. Our 
grief is increased by the fact that our country cannot 
afford to lose such men." 

The spirit of this letter exhibits in every line the 
unselfish patriotism of the Soutliern youth. Will 
you forget? 

Their sacrifice made glorious the history of the 
Confederate States! The brilliant record is so close 
to us that we should see it at every mental glance, 

109 



a pait of TSlanfeetg 



feel it at every motion and touch it at every step. 
It is a glorious and fadeless essence, beautiful and 
brilliant ! Its stars, like diamonds in the tomb of 
royalty, will rest undimmed by the dust and lapse 
of ages. 

John Bowie Magruder, in the flower of his man- 
hood, fell for the glory of his country in the great 
battle which turned the destiny of the South towards 
the dark shadow of defeat. 

His name is enrolled amongst the heroes of his 
Alma Mater, the University of Virginia, and listed 
with the dead on the field of battle, whose courage 
and devotion and chivalry made the everlasting fame 
of the Army of Northern Virginia. 

He was exalted in patriotism, rich in chivalry, pure 
in heart, eminent in all the adornments which make 
a true man and noble warrior. 



LETTER NO. 26. 

AFTER Pickett's charge. 

My Dear Nephews : 

Col. James G. Hodges, his adjutant, John S. Jen- 
kins and Major Robert Poore, of the 14th regiment; 
Col. John C. Owens, of the ninth Virginia regiment; 
Lieutenants John C. Niemeyer, George W. Mitchell 
and Robert Guy, of the third Virginia regiment; Ser- 
geant John R. Dunn, Privates Lemuel H. Williams, 
William B. Bennett, Richard J. Nash, Thomas C. 

no 



a pair of ISlmkm 



Owens, J. F. A. Dunderdale, James W. Lattimer, 
W. G. Monte and Robert Reed, of the ninth Virginia 
regiment, my city's (Portsmouth) true sons were 
among the slain on this bloody field, and now their 
memories live as sentinels of Virginia's honor, and 
their courage, remembered as the purest and richest 
ornaments of manly chivalry. Lieut. Col. William 
White, of the 14th Virginia regiment, and Judge 
James F. Crocker, Adjutant of the ninth, were 
severely wounded while gallantly leading in the 
charge. 

During the charge, Lieut. Charles T. Phillips, wav- 
ing his sword over his head and leading his men on- 
ward, cried: "Home, home, boys! Remember, home 
is over beyond those hills." What a spectacle of 
chivalry! When within 200 yards of the enemy's 
batteries Private W. G. Monte, of company "G," ex- 
claimed, 'What a sublime sight!" And taking his 
watch from his pocket said: "It is just four minutes 
past three o'clock." At that moment a gun on the 
right fired a shell into the left company of the 53d 
Virginia regiment, killing and wounding sixteen men; 
the brave Monte was seen no more by his comrades, 
and his ashes sleep in a nameless grave where he fell 
"foremost in the front rank." 

When ordered to charge, Private A. W. Harvey, in 
his usual humorous vein, called out to one of his 
comrades, who was not too willing to face danger: 
"Follow me and I will lead you to victory or death !" 
Sergeant John K. Beaton displayed extraordinary 
bravery in encouraging his men by leading several 
paces in front. He was wounded in this battle, and 

III 



a pair of IBlankm 



killed on the i6th of May, 1864, near Drury's Bluff. 
Private William Brownley displayed conspicuous brav- 
ery and was highly commended by his comrades. I 
have heard many more instances of great gallantry in 
this famous charge, but all cannot be given here. 

General Pickett rallied the remnant of his division 
on our main line, where it was detached as a guard 
for the prisoners, and escorted seven thousand to Wil- 
liamsport, Md. 

The battle closed with night, and then came the 
trying ordeal for our regiment. Our brigade had been 
held as support for the artillery, and was advanced 
over in front for a short distance, but recalled to the 
place we occupied during the bombardment on Semi- 
nary Ridge. About sundown our regiment was de- 
ployed as skirmishers and advanced about half mile 
to the front as pickets for the resting army of North- 
ern Virginia. All night and the following day and 
night we were hotly engaged, though somewhat pro- 
tected by a ditch and fence. The minnie's shrill shriek 
seemed more fearful and deadly at night than by day. 
The prayers of the dying and the groans of the 
wounded made existence during the night on that 
gloomy field too miserable to describe. It was simply 
awful to listen to the wails through the darkness! 

Our losses were heavy. Among the killed from our 
regiment were Lieut. Walter C. Ives, Privates Andrew 
Butt, Joseph Sykes, Julius Ward and Revel W. Cur- 
tis, and among the wounded were Frederick Bean, 
William J. Jones, George King, Jesse McPherson, C. 
M. Overton and Joseph Thompson. 

The army after waiting for an attack during the 
112 



a pait of T5lmUt» 



4th day of July, even the glorious fourth, commenced 
to withdraw after night, but the whole did not get in 
motion before sunrise on the fifth of July. Although 
it was very chilly, raining exceedingly hard all the 
day and night of the fourth, we were kept on the out- 
posts and not recalled until late in the morning of the 
fifth. 

We marched all that day in retreat until late in the 
night and halted at Waterloo ; there we remained, wait- 
ing for rations until late in the afternoon of the next 
day; our route was through Fairfield, Fairfield Gap, 
in the Cumberland mountains, and Waynesboro to 
Maryland. We reached Maryland on the night of the 
sixth, passed through Idasburg, and camped within 
two miles of Hagerstown. There we remained until 
the afternoon of the tenth of July, when we marched 
through that town, and on the eleventh the army was 
placed in line of battle, "covering the Potomac from 
Williamsport to Falling Waters." I was given com- 
mand of the brigade skirmishers, and advanced them 
to the borders of a woodland overlooking a small field, 
and when the enemy's pickets advanced to the edge 
of the woods across the field, they drove out a flock 
of sheep, which charged upon our line, and my men 
captured the entire lot. It was like the rain of 
manna in the wilderness of Arabia, for we were very 
hungry. Our rations were slim, and fresh mutton 
chops were delightful to the palate, when broiled on 
bon-fires even without salt or bread. 

On the afternoon of July 13th a steady rain was 
coming down; hungry and without shelter, you may 
imagine the discomfort we endured; but my pair of 

113 



a Pair of TSlmkm 



blankets was with me in this hour of need, as many 
times before. That dark and dreary night we were 
ordered to withdraw and march for the Potomac. It 
was raining heavily and densely dark when we com- 
menced the retreat from the picket line, and it was 
with much difficulty that we kept together; arriving 
at the turnpike we found it almost blocked with 
wagons, artillery and horses, with the columns of 
infantry marching slowly alongside through muck and 
slush. The slippery stones under the mud tripped 
many and threw them flat in the slush to add to the 
horrors of the mid-night march, and the fellow who 
fell did not say his prayers in gaining his feet. 

However I was cheered on with the hope of soon 
being once more on the soil of the Old Dominion and 
alive. 

One great trouble possessed me all through the in- 
vasion of the enemy's country. It was the dread of 
being killed and having my bones left to sleep in the 
soil of Pennsylvania. I never expected to survive the 
war, but I hoped to be killed in Virginia and have 
my ashes rest with my mother state. 

You may ask me how I felt in battle. It is dif- 
ficult to tell. I felt differently at different times. I 
think much depends on the condition of the nervous 
system, and sometimes we felt more like fighting than 
at other times. It is indeed hard to describe how one 
feels when the cannons thunder — the shells explode — 
the smoke envelops — the bullets go zip-zip-zip-zip, 
and the wounded cry out in pain. 

On all occasions I felt great dread of a battle — ^to 
be killed — ^to be left with upturned face upon the field 

114 



a Pait of TSIanfem 



— to be trampled upon by the heels of soldiers ad- 
vancing against my comrades — ^to be wounded and lan- 
guish in the hands of a pitiless enemy — ^to die and be 
buried in the land of hate ! Horrible thought ! 

The chances of escaping death or wounds appeared 
very slim, when I first realized what a herculean task 
we had on our hands. Yet almost like a miracle I 
escaped and only received three slight wounds during 
the entire period of my service in the Confederate 
army. A battle is a dreadful ordeal for a soldier in 
the line. He feels most alarm when the bullets first 
begin to come, but after the opening he forgets him- 
self in his efforts to drive the enemy. The officer is 
too busy keeping the soldiers in line — closing up 
broken ranks and directing the course of the move- 
ments to be afraid, and the private in firing and load- 
ing his rifle forgets the danger and displays the heroism 
which gives the glory of the field. I have asked the 
coolest and bravest men I ever saw in battle if they 
were afraid, and all answered "Yes," they dreaded 
the ordeal as much as any. 

I expect you have experienced the feelings of a boy 
on his way to school without knowing his lessons, 
expecting a whipping or severe reprimand; and then 
if he should escape with an easy question at the class 
recital, saving him the scolding or lashing, he feels 
an effervescent delight which stimulates him to be bet- 
ter prepared next time; add to this many degrees of 
dread and you will feel like a soldier going into a 
fight, and then when you safely run the gauntlet of 
the teacher's questions you will know the feelings of 
a soldier who gets through a battle without a scratch. 

115 



a pair of T5lmkm 



A fight foot to foot with bayonets gives no time for 
fear or fright, like a fist-cuif, each strives to conquer. 
We had such a fight at the "Crater." 

A soldier with dread of death is impelled by a sense 
of honor and duty to overcome this feeling, and when 
he conquers it in the face of hailing bullets and burst- 
ing shells, he is entitled to a soldier's glory and a 
soldier's honor. 



LETTER NO. 27. 

in virginia again. 

My Dear Nephews : 

Arriving at the heights of the bank of the Potomac 
we were halted to rest in a little field on the roadside 
for probably an hour, then resuming the march, and 
while going down grade to the river to reach the 
pontoon bridge, we heard rapid firing up the hill. A 
squadron of the enemy's cavalry had charged into 
Pettigrew's Brigade while resting in the place we had 
just left. The men were taken altogether unawares 
while lounging about on the grass, out of ranks, but 
they fired upon the horsemen, every man for himself, 
and soon unhorsed the entire squadron. 

The gallant General James J. Pettigrew, one of the 
bravest of the brave, was mortally wounded and 
died a few days afterwards at Bunker Hill, Virginia. 

This episode caused our column to halt a short while 
and then we resumed the march, crossing over the 
pontoon bridge, July 14th, to the old Virginia shore, 

116 



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and I was happy for the moment. On the 15th day 
of July we resumed the march, passed through Mar- 
tinsburg, Drakesville and Bunker Hill, and encamped 
a little way out until the 21st of July. 

While here, a foraging party returned to camp and 
one man had a hive of bees on his shoulder. No one 
inquired where he found it, but many crowded 
around for' a taste of honey after he had smoked the 
bees to death. We had one man, William Miller, 
who was a great hunter, who could climb the largest 
oaks to capture squirrels in their hollows, and he 
made good use of his agility while at this place. 

Resuming the march we passed through Winchester 
and bivouacked about two miles out for the night, and 
next day we crossed the Shenandoah on pontoons and 
rested for the night very near Front Royal, and on 
the 23rd crossed over the Blue Ridge at Chester Gap. 
On the 24th of July we passed through Flint Hill 
and bivouacked on the banks of the Hazel River, and 
on the morning of the 25th arrived at Culpepper Court 
House, where we camped until August ist, and then 
were thrown in line of battle to meet the enemy, who 
were coming from the direction of Brandy Station. 

The great open field between these two places gave 
a splendid opportunity for cavalry manoeuvers. The 
enemy's cavalry was driving ours pell-mell on our in- 
fantry line, and when we emerged from the woods 
they wheeled about and our cavalry in turn gave them 
a thrilling chase. We could see the chase, but were 
just out of range of their carbines, and although 
charging in line of battle could not get near enough 
to fire a volley at them. It was a pretty running fight 

117 



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in full view of our infantry line without much danger. 

We were held in line of battle until August 3rd, and 
then took up the line of march through Culpeper 
Court House, and halted at Orange. There we bivou- 
acked on a hill in a beautiful grove of large oaks. One 
day in a thunder storm the lightning killed one of our 
soldiers and fearfully shocked one or two others. 
Their fly tent was stretched at the foot of a great oak, 
one knee of the tree serving for a head rest or pillow. 
A musket was leaning against the tree in the tent at 
the head of the resting men. While the rain was 
pouring, the lightning struck the tree, the bolt ran 
down the musket, struck the back of the head of one 
of the soldiers, streaked down his spine and leg, going 
through the shoe-sole about the size of a fine needle 
point. The surgeons made every effort to revive him, 
but failed, and his body went to a soldier's grave. 
The others, though fearfully shocked, revived and 
eventually recovered. 

There was a great review of the army, near this 
camp at Orange. I do not remember the date, as I 
have no data to refresh my memory. When General 
Lee and his staff rode down the line in a sweeping 
gallop, the soldiers sent ^^p a "rebel yell" with the in- 
tensest enthusiasm of loving followers, showing that 
the results of the invasion had not broken the spirits 
of the Army of Northern Virginia. 



118 



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LETTER NO. 28. 
bristoe station 

My Dear Nephews : 

On the ninth day of October, 1863, General Lee 
crossed the Rapidan River and advanced by the way 
of Madison Court House, with the design of bringing 
on an engagement with the Federal army, which was 
encamped about Culpepper Court House extending 
thence to Rapidan Station. 

The progress of the army was necessarily slow, as 
the march was by circuitous and concealed roads to 
avoid observation by the enemy. 

On the tenth of October General J. E. B. Stuart 
with a portion of his command attacked the advance 
of the enemy near James City, and forced it back to 
Culpepper. The main body of our army arrived near 
that place on the eleventh, and found that the enemy 
had retreated towards the Rappahannock, removing or 
destroying his stores. On the morning of the 12th of 
October our army was marching in two columns with 
the design of reaching the Orange and Alexandria 
railroad, north of the Rappahannock River and in- 
tercepting the retreat of the enemy. 

Arriving at Warrenton Springs the passage of the 
Rappahannock was disputed by artillery and cavalry, 
but they were quickly driven off, and on the afternoon 
of the 13th, the columns reunited at Warrenton, where 



a pair of IBIanfeets! 



a halt was made to supply the troops with rations. 
The enemy fell back rapidly along the line of the 
railroad. His retreat was conducted by several parallel 
roads, while our troops were compelled to march by 
difficult and circuitous routes, and therefore we were 
unable to intercept him. 

General A. P. Hill arrived at Bristoe Station first, 
where his advance, consisting of two brigades, became 
engaged with a force largely superior in numbers, 
posted behind the railroad embankment. He was re- 
pulsed with considerable loss. Before the rest of our 
troops could get up and the position of the enemy as- 
certained, he retreated across Broad Run and took up 
a position beyond Bull Run. 

General Lee considered it useless to turn the enemy's 
new position, as it was apparent that he would retire 
to the entrenchments around Washington and Alex- 
andria, and would decline an engagement unless at- 
tacked in his fortifications. A further advance was 
therefore deemed unnecessary, and after destroying 
the railroad from Cub Run southwardly to the Rap- 
pahannock River, our army, on the i8th, returned to 
the line of that river, leaving the cavalry in the 
enemy's front. 

The aggregate loss of the Third Corps of our army 
at Bristoe Station was 933 killed and wounded, and 
445 prisoners. 

Captain Thomas L. Barraud, of the i6th Virginia 
regiment, an excellent officer, was killed, and General 
Carnot Posey, of Mississippi, was mortally wounded, 
and died in the hospital at Charlottesville on No- 
vember 13th. He was a splendid officer, not only 

120 



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beloved by his own brigade, but generally respected 
and esteemed by the whole division. 

Notwithstanding the bloody mistake at Bristoe, in 
the course of these operations General Lee captured 
2,436 prisoners, including 41 commissioned officers. 
He would have continued in front of the enemy had 
it not been for the destitute condition of his men, 
thousands of whom were bare-footed, a greater num- 
ber partially shod and nearly all without overcoats, 
blankets and warm clothing. In a letter to the Sec- 
retary of War, James A. Seddon, dated October 19th, 
General Lee said: ''I think the sublimest sight of the 
war was the cheerfulness and alacrity exhibited by this 
army under the trials and privations to which it is 
exposed." 

Before the army advanced I had been given a leave 
of absence, the only one during the four years of my 
service, and consequently missed the affair at Bristoe, 
but returned in time to join my regiment about War- 
renton Junction. 

On the 7th of November the Federals attacked our 
troops at Rappahannock Station on the north side of 
the river, capturing the redoubts and about 1,500 pris- 
oners. Our regiment was in trenches on the south 
side and had a lively fight to keep the enemy from 
crossing. I remember our chaplain, Hatcher, rode 
up in the midst of this fight, and I had to order him 
back out of the danger line. He was a Baptist and 
brave as a lion. We afterwards fell back to the line 
of the Rapidan, and marched on the railroad track all 
day, giving us one of the most foot-sore marches of 
the war. The field officers had to send their horses 

121 



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around the public road with the wagons, and therefore 
I had to foot it with the men of the ranks. 



LETTER NO. 29. 
mine run and madison run. 

My Dear Nephews: 

On the 26th of November, 1863, General Meade, 
commanding the Federal army, commenced an ad- 
vance on Orange Court House, and our army was 
withdrawn from the line of the upper Rapidan and 
marched eastward to strike him. Ewell's Corps was 
directed to proceed to the old turnpike near Locust 
Grove and Hill's Corps, to which our brigade was 
attached, to move down the Plank Road. On the 
27th, we met the enemy's outposts and engaged in 
skirmishing, so anticipating an attack, our forces 
were put in a good position, which General Lee him- 
self outlined, on the west side of Mine Run, and dur- 
ing the night our men made formidable entrench- 
ments, for they had "graduated in the art of con- 
structing field defenses." On the 28th, Meade ad- 
vanced his army to the east side of the Run imme- 
diately in our front, but made no effort to attack us. 
We had anticipated with cheerfulness an opportunity 
of fighting behind breastworks, but were disap- 
pointed. 

Although we had from time to time thrown up 
miles of earthworks, we, never during the whole war, 

122 



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had the opportunity of jfighting behind or resisting 
an attack on them; of course I mean our brigade. 
We remained in this position until three o'clock on 
the morning of the second of December, when we 
were withdrawn to move to the right to make an 
attack, but as soon as it became light enough to see, 
we discovered that the enemy's pickets had gone. 
We marched down the Plank Road, while Early pur- 
sued the old turnpike to overtake Meade. After 
marching eight miles we were halted, as Stuart had 
reported that the enemy had recrossed the Rapidan 
and was proceeding to his old position on the Rappa- 
hannock, and then we returned to our former line on 
the Rapidan near the railroad bridge. 

The conduct of Meade's troops in devastating the 
country was contrary to all the usages of civilized 
w^arfare. General Lee in his report of the Mine Run 
affair to the War Department, says : "I cannot con- 
clude without alluding to the wanton destruction of 
the property of citizens by the enemy. Houses were 
torn down or rendered uninhabitable, furniture and 
farming implements broken or destroyed, and many 
families, most of them in humble circumstances, 
stripped of all they possessed and left without shelter 
and without food. I have never witnessed on any 
previous occasion such entire disregard of the usages 
of civilized warfare and the dictates of humanity." 

The enemy was not our personal enemy ; there is a 
vast difference between a personal enemy and a patri- 
otic enemy of another country, and w^e looked upon 
the Federal troops as soldiers of another country, 

123 



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towards whom we could entertain the kindliest feel- 
ings, when they were not trying to kill us. 

When off the firing line on neutral ground our 
soldiers could take a social drink out of the same 
bottle, cut a chew of tobacco from the same plug, eat 
hard tack from the same haversack and drink water 
from the same canteen; and therefore we felt that 
such heartless conduct as described by General Lee 
was inspired by high officials. There were some of 
our enemies whose bloody and cruel orders engen- 
dered a hate which forbade any kindly feelings what- 
soever towards them. 

Butler, Hunter, Sheridan and Sherman in the field 
and Lincoln, as chief executive, who upheld their sav- 
age crusades against our unoffending non-com- 
batants, made our blood boil in every artery when- 
ever we thought of them. Shall we forget the Indian 
massacres of the American colonists! Shall we pass 
over in silence the black deeds of these cruel men! 

On January 3rd, 1864, we settled down into winter 
quarters near Madison Run, five miles north of Gor- 
donsville. Our tents were arranged in city style with 
broad streets, squares, parade grounds, etc. The sol- 
diers built a log church in the center of the encamp- 
ment, where the Masons also held meetings and there 
I was initiated into the mysteries. I remember one 
bright sunny Sunday morning, Bishop Johns preached 
an able sermon in the open air to a large crowd of 
earnest listeners. I wish I could remember his text. 

General Mahone had his headquarters a little dis- 
tance from the encampment across the run, and dur- 
ing the winter had a coop of turkeys near his tent 

124 



a Pair of OSlanfeets 



It was a tempting bait for the men, and one fellow 
conceived a plan to get one of the General's turkeys 
for his dinner. The turkey was out of the coop. 
He attached a fishing hook to a long string, baited 
it with a grain of corn and threw it to the bird; of 
course it grabbed the bait and as the fellow com- 
menced to drag it away, the General appeared in 
front of his tent and observed the singular incident; 
thinking the turkey was chasing the soldier, he ex- 
claimed: "Look at that cowardly fellow running 
from a turkey." This story was told about camp, 
but I will not vouch for it. 

I have told you about the barefooted condition of 
our soldiers in a previous chapter, and they were still 
lacking in the essential comforts of life. 

General Mahone took possession of a church near 
this camp, bought up all the leather he could find, 
detailed all the shoemakers in his command and 
opened a shoe manufactory in the church, and by the 
opening of the spring campaign his men were all well 
shod. The historian of Orange county says to his 
credit the church was left uninjured. 

It was at this camp that the three years enlistment 
of our men expired, and they were called upon to 
reinlist for the war and in a manly and heroic spirit 
they so responded as to merit a resolution of thanks 
from the Congress of the Confederate States: "Re- 
solved by the Congress of the Confederate States of 
America, That the thanks of Congress are due, and 
are hereby tendered to the officers and men of the 
Sixty First Virginia Regiment of Infantry and the 
Fifth Virginia Regiment of Cavalry for having patri- 

125 



a pait of 15Ianbet0 



i 



otically and in the spirit of self-sacrificing devotion, 
reinlisted for the war. 

Sec. 2, Resolved : That a record of these proceed- 
ings be forthwith furnished to the troops composing 
the above named regiments. Approved February 
15th, 1864." 

On the seventh of February the enemy having made 
a demonstration to cross the Rapidan, we were 
marched through the town of Orange to the river, 
but the emergency having ceased we returned to our 
winter quarters, where with the usual camp duties 
every preparation was made for the spring campaign. 

A batallion of sharpshooters was formed from 
picked officers and men, and drilled for special serv- 
ice, and it proved a most valuable adjunct in the 
campaign following, beginning in the Wilderness. 
On the fourth of May we left winter quarters and 
marched about ten miles to the old camp ground near 
the railroad bridge. 

LETTER NO. 30. 

the wilderness. 

My Dear Nephews: 

On the fifth day of May, we were ordered from 
the position at the railroad bridge, and marched fif- 
teen miles to Vadiersville, where we bivouacked for 
the night, and next morning we started early and 
hastened to join our troops who were already fighting 
in the Wilderness. 

126 



a Pait of TSlmkm 



Grant, who had won great battles in the West and 
secured the confidence of his government, had been 
transferred to the East to retrieve the disasters of a 
score of commanders of the Federal forces, was ad- 
vancing with his mighty army of 140,000 men and 
300 cannon to overwhelm Lee, who had only 62,000 
soldiers. 

As we marched down the Plank Road from the open 
ground into the dark woods, the infantry firing was 
sounding on all sides and the battle was progressing 
earnestly and fiercely. 

We were at once assigned to support of General 
Longstreet's line, but some time after were ordered 
to join and co-operate with Anderson's and Wofiford's 
Brigades of Longstreet's Corps in an attack upon the 
left flank of the enemy. 

General Mahone, as senior brigadier, was charged 
with the immediate direction of the movement. An- 
derson and Wofford were already in motion, and in 
a few moments the line of attack had been formed 
and three brigades in most imposing order, with a 
step that meant fight, were rapidly descending upon 
the enemy. 

The attack was a brilliant and complete success. 
The enemy was swept from our front on the Plank 
Road where his advantage of position had already 
been felt by our line, and from which the necessity 
of his dislodgment had become a matter of great con- 
cern. Besides this valuable result the Plank Road 
had been gained and the lines of the enemy bent back 
in great disorder and the way was open for greater 
results. Grant's regulars from his western army had 

127, 



a Pair of TSlmkm 



been routed. His long lines of dead and wounded, 
which lay in the wake of our swoop, furnished evi- 
dence that he was not allowed time to change front 
as well as the execution of our fire. Our brigade 
lost twenty killed and 126 wounded in this movement. 

After the battle we halted to reform our line, Long- 
street and Jenkins, having ridden to the front beyond 
our position, were fired upon by troops on the left of 
our regiment, mistaking them for the enemy's cav- 
alry, and General Longstreet was wounded and 
General Jenkins killed at a most unfortunate moment. 
The firing was certainly not from the 6ist regiment, 
but by troops some distance to the left of it. 

This unfortunate affair stopped the further advance 
and doubtless lost the opportunity of giving the 
enemy a more disastrous defeat than already given. 

That night we bivouacked on the battlefield of the 
Wilderness and next morning we moved forward, 
coming up with the enemy at "Whitehall," and en- 
gaging him in a very spirited fight where we lost 
several valuable men. 

During this march we came across a great bunch 
of dead cavalry horses and many of their riders were 
dead beside them. There were many side-arms scat- 
tered about, so I set about selecting a light sabre to 
take the place of my light infantry sword, and finding 
one to suit, I threw away my old sword and took the 
sabre which I now have to accompany my "pair of 
blankets." 

A pair of spurs also were found on this field, and 
the one is left to go with my relics of the war. 

On the tenth of May the enemy were trying to 
128 



a pair of IBIanfeets 



capture our wagon train and we had a skirmish in 
driving him off. On the next day still fighting, we 
held a position on the extreme right of our army, 
which we fortified under cover of night. 

On the eleventh day of May, Grant wrote Halleck : 
"We have now ended the sixth day of very hard 
fighting. The result to this time is much in our 
favor." (?) 

"But our losses have been heavy as well as those 
of the enemy. We have lost to this time eleven gen- 
eral officers killed, wounded and missing, and prob- 
ably twenty thousand men. I am now sending back 
to Belle Plaine all my wagons for a fresh supply of 
provisions, and propose to fight it out on this line if 
it takes all summer." 

We will see after awhile that this assertion was not 
carried out and the boastful general in command of 
the Federal army suddenly changed his mind and 
resorted to another line. 



LETTER NO. 31. 
the spottsylvania battle. 

My Dear Nephews : 

And now, May 12th, 1864, the great battle of Spott- 
sylvania Court House is raging in all its gigantic fury 
and terrible turmoil. We were hastily moved to the 
right nearly in front of the Court House to help our 
hard pressed troops, and in our first position we ex- 

129 



a Pait of IBIanfeets 



perienced a heavy shelling and lost several men. Col. 
V. D. Groner, commanding our regiment, was 
wounded, and the command devolved on Lieut. Col. 
William F. Niemeyer. 

About one o'clock in the afternoon the brigade was 
moved still further to the right and more directly in 
front of the court house to support Lane's brigade, 
which was charging that terrible battery, which had 
wounded our colonel. We were moved forward in 
the woods with orders not to fire as friends were in 
front. 

After marching some distance, a line of battle, lying 
down, was discovered a few paces in our front, and 
ours halted, believing it was Lane's Brigade, which 
we were supposed to be supporting; but as soon as 
we saw the blue coats and opened a volley of musketry, 
they scattered like sheep. Numbers were taken pris- 
oners, among them several color sergeants with regi- 
mental colors. We ordered them to the rear without 
a guard, because all our men with muskets in hand 
were required for the enemy in front, and conse- 
quently could not be spared to escort prisoners to the 
rear. One sergeant with his flag passed within 
hand's reach of me. As these prisoners emerged from 
the woods they were taken in charge by soldiers of 
another brigade, and the flags claimed as their cap- 
tures and to them were credited in the official reports. 

I am positivly certain that our regiment was en- 
titled to the credit of capturing one flag that was 
credited to another. After the enemy had been driven 
back, our position in the woods was held for some 
time; here an incident occurred that I shall always 

130 



a pair of TBlmkm 



remember. I was standing on the left of the 
regiment in rather a good humor from the gratifica- 
tion, I suppose, one always experiences after passing 
safely through danger, when Lieut. Col. Niemeyer, 
then commanding the regiment, came up to me with 
a very sad expression of countenance and said : "I am 
sure I'll be killed to-day." . I made some laughing re- 
ply, believing our fighting was over for the day. But, 
alas ! his prediction was true ! I little thought that 
the gallant soldier, true friend and modest gentleman 
would ere the morning be lifeless on that field. 

About an hour before sunset the fortifications of the 
enemy on the right of the Court House were found to 
be held by pickets only, and our brigade was ordered 
to charge them. Our regiment, occupying the center 
of the brigade, struck an open field, and on advancing 
up the hill behind which we had been deployed for the 
charge, w^ere met by a volley of musketry. I was 
struck on the right arm by a minnie ball, which felt 
like a red-hot iron crushing through the bones. About 
the same instant Lieut. William Drewry was shot 
through the thigh, from the effects of which the gal- 
lant soldier afterwards died. I was thoroughly de- 
moralized, and believing my arm was broken, ex- 
claimed : "I am ruined." Capt. B. H. Nash, Adjutant 
General, ran to me, and when we examined it, found 
it was only a slight flesh wound, and then we proceeded 
at a run to catch up with the regiment. Lieut. Glea- 
son was shot clear through the lungs soon after, but 
eventually recovered. Col. Niemeyer reached the 
fortifications, and after the charge was all over, was 
shot through the breast by one of the enemy's sharp- 

131 



a pair of 'Blankets 



shooters. He was a noble specimen of manhood — 
in manner as gentle as a woman — with a heart far 
reaching in sympathy and love, in duty firm and 
fearless, and in all his associations pleasant and af- 
fable — a character at once commanding respect and 
attracting the love of both superiors and subordinates 
in military rank. 

The heart of every soldier in the regiment was 
stricken with grief when Niemeyer was slain. This 
was the last sad tragedy in our regiment on this 
memorable day, and the soldiers slept on their arms 
that night. 

An incident worthy of record, as showing the heroic 
character of the soldiers of the line, at the same time 
serious and amusing, if you are familiar with military 
terms, was related to me by a comrade of another 
regiment. When the artillery of the Federals was 
throwing shot and shell all around, and we had com- 
menced the charge, First Lieut. Thomas W. Smith, 
of company "A," i6th Virginia regiment, was struck 
by a minnie ball and cut down with a serious wound 
through his right thigh. Two of his men picked him 
up and bore him a little to the rear, where he insisted 
they should leave him and go back to their commands, 
but finding that he was too weak to walk from loss 
of blood, one of his men, Benj. H. Hannaford, as- 
sisted him on to the Court House, where the field 
hospital was located. The surgeon there told him 
that the enemy were shelling that hospital and he 
must go on to the division hospital, more than two 
miles away to avoid the danger, but he was then too 
weak to hobble further. His comrade found a wheel- 



132 



a pair of isimkm 



barrow and with the aid of another lifted him into it 
and placed him as comfortably as possible. Then 
Hannaford said : *'Now, my Lieutenant, I will roll you 
over to the division hospital." In passing the Court 
House General Pendleton was sitting on the fence rail- 
ing around the lot, ordering up and sending in the ar- 
tillery. The general hailed him, saying: "Lieutenant, 
what are you doing? Where are you going?" Lieu- 
tenant Smith, looking up, saw General Pendleton, and 
raising himself as well as he could, saluted the gen- 
eral and said : "General, I am passing in review." 
The old general looked down upon him, smiled and 
said : "Go on, you will not die," and he didn't die, but 
recovered to go back to the field and be wounded 
again. This is probably the only instance on record 
where a wounded soldier rode from a battlefield in 
a wheel-barrow. 

Lieutenant Smith is still with us, and has done many 
good acts for his comrades, besides building a monu- 
ment to the memory of the Confederate dead at Suf- 
folk, Va. He is still a Confederate soldier with a full 
heart for all implied in that glorious name. 

And it is most gratifying to know that Dr. Charles 
E. Stowe, son of the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, 
has declared that: "For the principle of State rights 
and State sovereignty the Southern men fought with 
a holy ardor and self-denying patriotism that have 
covered even defeat with imperishable glory." 

Although as the result of bayonet adjudication, se- 
cession can now only be successful by rebellion, still 
the Federal Union must rest upon the principle of 

133 



a pair of ismmm 



state's rights and home rule, if it is to exist as a re- 
public. 



LETTER NO. 32. 
marching and fighting. 

My Dear Nephews: 

It is difficult to recall events that occurred many, 
many years ago. While some are indelibly impressed 
upon my mind, many now appear more like dreams 
than realizations; therefore these recollections will. 
be imperfect in some respects; however I rely mostly 
upon notes and reports made at the time. If I shall 
be able to record a single incident by which a noble 
soldier shall receive the reward of a name in history 
for chivalrous conduct and give you an example of 
true manhood for inspiration, I shall feel fully repaid 
for the spare moments I have devoted to the prepara- 
tion of this narrative, entitled, "A Pair of Blankets." 

After the great battle of Spottsylvania Court House 
had been fought, our brigade was moved to the right 
about a mile southeast of the court house, where a 
dense thicket of small pines covered its front. After 
a few hours of hard labor, we were strongly en- 
trenched and then our worn-out soldiers were allowed 
to rest several days, but we were still within reach 
of the bullets from the enemy's pickets. In the mean- 
time Grant was sliding along his "all summer line" 
towards Richmond. 

On the 14th of May, 1864, a soldier was directed to 

134 



a pair of 15lankm 



climb a tree standing in front of the breastworks 
which overlooked the surrounding pines and report 
his observations of the enemy's line. The sharp- 
shooters discovered him at once, and the first shot 
aimed at him struck and instantly killed Marshall O. 
Creekmore of Norfolk county, a member of Company 
*'A," while asleep in his tent. 

Isaiah Hodges, a member of the same company, 
rushed to him and while stooping to raise the head 
of the dead soldier, was pierced by another bullet and 
fell dead across the body of his comrade. Prompted 
by the noblest impulses of the human heart he was 
endeavoring to soothe the dying moments of his 
friend, unmindful of the danger to which he was ex- 
posed; and even while tender accents were on his 
lips, the swift winged messenger, in the twinkling of 
an eye, sent him to his eternal home. It was an 
appalling tragedy, occurring while we were lying 
around in the shade of the trees. The conduct of 
this soldier was a grand victory over death. 

The man in the tree escaped untouched, but he 
descended from it with lightning speed. 

On the 22nd of May we evacuated these earth- 
works, marching to the North Anna River, where we 
again engaged in battle with Grant's troops and 
thereafter we were moving positions and fighting 
every day until Grant changed his "all summer line." 

I remember, when we were halted for dinner and 
rest, the avidity with which the soldiers scattered 
over the adjoining fields to gather polk-salad and 
wild garlic, and the busy scenes which followed 
around the little fires over which hung tin cups, tin 

135 



a pair of T5lmkm 



buckets and boilers containing morsels of pork and 
these aforesaid vegetable delicacies. Grant was then 
making demonstrations in our front, and time for rest 
and cooking was very limited. The pickets were 
fighting fiercely and Capt. R. B. Brinkley of Nanse- 
mond county, Va., an officer of the 41st regiment, was 
killed early in the action. 

A line of battle was formed across an open field 
and the work of fortifying was begun by the soldiers 
without instructions, for the popping and cracking of 
the picket's rifles were all the orders they required 
for this purpose. The pioneer corps was poorly pro- 
vided with tools and on pressing occasions like this, 
every available instrument that would throw up an 
ounce of earth was brought into service — knives, iron 
forks, tin plates, spoons and pieces of broken can- 
teens were used as spades with most remarkable re- 
sults. The fortifications were hardly completed be- 
fore the Adjutant was moving down the line for a 
detail to relieve the pickets. 

As usual on dangerous occasions, or rather it so 
appeared to me, I was made commander of the bri- 
gade picket. It was exceedingly dangerous to go to 
the picket line in the daytime. The pickets were 
located in a dense woods with thick undergrowth of 
gall-bushes and other shrubs. I felt I would be 
killed and that impression added to the frightful ac- 
counts of the fighting, filled me with indescribable 
dread, but I nerved myself for the occasion and 
marched at the head of my men to the front. The 
pickets were over a mile from our line of battle, and 
during the entire march I was thinking of the doom 

136 



a pair Df TSlmkm 



which I felt awaited me. It was late in the after- 
noon, but before sunset we were in our places, and 
the worn-out pickets whom we relieved were safe in 
the rear. About twilight the ambulance corps ven- 
tured to the front and bore away the dead body of the 
gallant Brinkley. 

The enemy was only a few hundred yards in our 
front — the night was dark, gloomy, and almost star- 
less—there were our pickets, some behind trees, 
others ensconced in pits, perchance red with the 
blood of a dead comrade — with thoughts maybe only 
of home and death. My duties as commander made 
me pass along the line several times during that 
gloomy night. Every stick that cracked under my 
feet would draw the fire of some unweary sentinel 
and each flash from his rifle and "whop" of the bullet 
against a tree would send a shudder through my 
frame, expecting the next to pierce me. 

Think of being on a battlefield in the gloom of 
midnight, which was lighted only by the occasional 
flash of a rifle that sent its terrible messenger whiz- 
zing and whistling by one's head. 

Soon after daylight the enemy retreated from our 
front, and the pleasant feelings that came over me 
were almost as intense as those of dread which had 
preceded them. I marched back with my pickets to 
the earthworks for another change to meet the Fed- 
erals at another place. During the parting shots a 
stray bullet found its way to the rear and wounded 
John Singleton of Company "D" of our regiment 
while he was stooping to pack his knap-sack more 
than a mile off. 



13^ 



a pair of 15Ianket0 



LETTER NO. 33. 
second cold harbor. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Every day there was maneuvering and fighting. 
On June ist there was skirmishing along the whole 
line of the army. Hoke and Anderson attacked the 
enemy in their front and drove him to his entrench- 
ments, and the enemy's attack on Heth was hand- 
somely repulsed. Breckenridge and Mahone forced 
the enemy from their fronts and captured about 150 
prisoners. 

June 2nd we marched about eight miles to the right 
and were thrown in line of battle to support Hoke's 
Division. 

June 3rd at an early hour, 4:30 a. m., the great 
battle of Cold Harbor began with great vigor; Grant 
having ordered a general advance along his whole 
line, made assault after assault with severe loss to his 
troops and by eight o'clock fourteen had been made. 

The enemy succeeded in penetrating a salient on 
General Breckenridge's line, capturing a portion of 
the battalion there posted. However, Finnigan's 
Brigade, of Mahone's Division, and the Maryland 
Battalion of Breckenridge's command, immediately 
drove him out with severe loss, so this single advan- 
tage was no profit to Grant. Our brigade made a 
forced march from its position to reinforce the point 
called "Turkey Ridge," and we arrived at the scene 

138 



a Pait of ISlankm 



in the afternoon, and were at once thrown into line 
on the left of Finnegan to support Breckinridge's 
troops. While in this position I was struck on my 
right foot by a grape shot, but fortunately it had 
spent its force and my injury was slight. Sergeant 
Ivy C. (Buck) Brown of Deep Creek, a member of 
Company "B," was instantly killed near me as we 
alligned in the trenches. 

When Percy Greg, an Englishman, was writing his 
history of the United States, he visited this field and 
had the positions described to him by men who were 
in the battle, and he says": "Grant, who pledged 
himself to fight it out on this line, i. e., to take Rich- 
mond from the northeast — if it takes all summer, 
delivered another desperate attack upon the Confed- 
erates on finding them again across his front at Cold 
Harbor, a few miles northeast of Richmond. The 
field was a narrow plateau whose descending flanks 
were thinly covered with branchless pines. Across 
the plateau ran a ditch and parapet resembling a 
child's mimic entrenchments in the sand. An English 
girl of seven on a Shetland pony would have leaped 
it. A few hundred feet in the rear was a ravine out 
of which no beaten army could have extricated itself 
without numerous loss. Behind the slight parapet, 
strengthened upon the flanks by somewhat stronger 
works, the Confederate soldiers lay crouched — they 
could not kneel. Grant on June 3rd hurled against 
them his whole army. 

In half an hour that army was driven back, leav- 
ing the ground covered to within one hundred yards 
of the trenches, with eight thousand dead and 

139 



Z pair of IBlmhm 



wounded. Enraged by this last and most humiliating 
disaster, Grant furiously insisted on the renewal of 
the attack. He did not, as most Confederate Gen- 
erals, offer to lead it; and his officers and men, from 
the highest to the lowest, absolutely refused to stir." 
About eight o'clock this night as Breckinridge and 
Finnegan were attempting to re-establish their picket 
lines, the enemy made a night assault, but it was 
easily repulsed. It was a terribly grand scene! All 
nature was clothed in darkness — the heavens were 
lit only by the twinkling stars, and the sulphurous 
smoke still shrouded the battlefield — the prayers and 
groans of the dying — the pitiful appeals of the 
wounded for help — the cries "water," "water!" — the 
commands of the officers, "Forward, guide right" — 
"steady!" were at once audible. Then came the 
charging battalions sweeping down upon us. The 
sheen of their polished muskets was seen by the spark- 
ling flashes that flew from their clicking hammers 
and sent forth the lurid blazes in swelling lines from 
their countless muzzles — their roaring fell upon our 
ears simultaneously with the "zip" and "flap" of the 
bullets. We were in the supporting line but could 
look over the front works. Then our comrades in 
the front line of battle rose up above their breast- 
works and with steady aim fired one volley, one vol- 
ley, which sent death, dismay and irretrievable dis- 
order into the ranks of the assailants, making them 
stagger, reel and fall, and then scatter as the whirl- 
wind sweeps the leaves of autumn before it. Our 
men of the front and rear lines mounted the crude 
ramparts and yelled over the victory — officers and 

140 



a mit of 'Blanltets 



privates alike made that grand old yell of the South- 
ern soldiery — the remembrance of which even now 
fires the heart and swells the bosom of an old soldier 
with mingled feelings of pride and pleasure. Open 
your mouth as wide as you can, hollo, scream, as loud 
as you can in lively acclaim, and you may give the 
"rebel" yell. 

This was the last act of Grant's tragedy at Cold 
Harbor. His dead and wounded covered our front 
in almost the same order and regularity in which 
they had bravely marched to the carnival of death. 
The whole of this night battle scene was certainly 
"grand, gloomy and peculiar." One month had 
passed with daily and almost nightly fighting. 
Grant's loss almost equaled the number of Lee's en- 
tire force. I know figures are dull, but here they 
speak with so much force they must hold your atten- 
tion. The Federal loss from the Wilderness to Cold 
Harbor is summed up as follows : 



Battles Killed 


Wounded 


Missing 


Total 


Wilderness 3246 

Spottsylvania . . . 2725 
North Anna and 


12037 
13416 


3383 

2258 


17666 
18319 


Potpotomy 591 

Cold Harbor and 


2734 


661 


3986 


Bethesda Church 1344 
Sheridan's First 


9077 


1816 


12737 


Expedition . .,. 64 
Sheridan's Second 


337 


224 


625 


Expedition ... 150 


741 


625 


1516 


Total .... 7620 


38342 
[41 


8967 


54928 



3 pair of IBlmkm 



This settled the "all summer line," and Grant de- 
cided to change his mind, and move to the south side 
of the James River. 

Soon after the close of the night battle our position 
was changed to the front line on the right and we 
held it until the 12th of June. The pickets of the 
enemy were so close to us that it was almost certain 
death to show one's head in the daylight above the 
earthworks, and for nine days we were kept close 
within the trenches. 

After a while a detail was called for, to charge the 
enemy's works in order to ascertain information as 
to his movements. Lieut. Wm. F. Baugh of Com- 
pany "G" commanded the detail from our regiment, 
composed of one man from each company. The 
brigade detail was commanded by Captain Chas. W. 
Wilson, and they drove in the enemy's pickets, went 
up to his breastworks and found them fully manned. 
Only four of this forlorn hope returned to our lines. 
Private A. D. B. Godwin was one of the four. *'Gus" 
was an excellent soldier and never faltered in his duty. 
He was the brother of the gallant General Godwin, 
who was killed at Winchester. 

As soon as the enemy left our front, we marched 
through the White Oak swamp, and again encoun- 
tered him, June 13th, 1864, on Fraziers Farm, where 
our column seemed to be marching on a parallel line. 
We were not thrown in line of battle, as only a few 
shots were fired at us from a woods across the field, 
but marched on towards the James. Major Charles 
R. McAlpine, then captain of Company "I," was 
severely wounded in the shoulder by one of these 

142 



a Pait of IBIanbets 



shots. He was always as true as steel, fearless, calm 
and cool on the battlefield, and a strict disciplinarian 
in camp and on the march ; everybody admired the 
courage of ''Napoleon" as he was familiarly called. 
The soldiers gave him this soubriquet, as he bore a 
personal resemblance to the great Napoleon, and cer- 
tainly was not excelled in bravery. I should name 
Major McAlpine, from my personal observation of 
his gallant conduct on the battlefield, as one of the 
"bravest of the brave." 

Our next camping place was near Malvern Hill. 



LETTER NO. 34. 
marching back to petersburg. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Malvern Hill, June ist, 1S62, the place and time 
where so many valuable lives were uselessly sacri- 
ficed, brought sad memories to us. 

It was now again the beautiful spring time, this 
1 8th day of June, 1864. The sun shone brightly, the 
young leaves were trembling in the gentle breezes, 
the wild flowers were in bloom, scenting the air with 
delightful perfume, the birds were singing merrily 
and sweetly in the surrounding woods and groves, 
when our tents were struck on the scene of the 
bloody battle and we took up the march for the old 
city of Petersburg. I remember now how delightful 
it was while riding along the road at the head of my 

143 



9 Pair of TSlmkm 



regiment, to hear the singing birds and smell the 
sweet flowers of the tangled vines. 

We crossed the James River on a pontoon bridge 
at Drewry's Bluff, marched over the battlefield on 
which Beauregard had recently routed the Federal 
forces under General B. F. Butler, overtrod the burnt 
leaves and saw the scorched trees with their bullet 
marks and broken limbs. We bivouacked that night 
near Chester Station on the Richmond & Petersburg 
Railroad. Early next afternoon, on the 19th day of 
June, we reached Petersburg. 

The Federal artillery was bombarding the city, and 
the solid shot and shell were crushing through the 
buildings. 

The sounds that reverberated from their deserted 
halls were solemn and sad evidences of the destruc- 
tiveness of men in the heat of war. Many families 
had been compelled to desert their homes and seek 
shelter in church buildings, barns and tents beyond 
the range of the great guns encircling the eastern 
side of the city. It was to all appearances a doomed 
city, and the soldiers felt that its rescue from total 
destruction depended upon their efforts and exertions. 

Late in the afternoon we marched through the city, 
not with the gay air which marked our entry in 1862, 
but with the determined step of soldiers seasoned to 
hardships and ready to dare every danger for the 
dear people of Petersburg. 

We were ordered in line in the earthworks on 
Wilcox's farm. These breastworks were through an 
open field, exposed to the hot sun, and the only shade- 
trees near were in a small graveyard, a few paces in 

144 



a pair of isimkm 



the rear of the left of the line of our regiment, and 
there the field officers pitched their tents, and made 
the headquarters of the 6ist Virginia Infantry Regi- 
ment over the graves of the dead. 

A singular fatality prevailed in the army about this 
time, for which medical science failed to account. 
Many soldiers who could see in the daytime, became 
perfectly blind after dark, and required to be led 
whenever on a march at night. One of our com- 
panies had more night blind than those who could 
see in the night, therefore men had to be detailed 
from other companies to lead its blind. 

The experience of these poor blind fellows caused 
many amusing incidents while on the march. When 
one stumbled there was sure to be a quarrel. 

The cause of this blindness and how it passed 
away no one knew, but many believed it was brought 
on by sleeping in the open air with the eyes exposed 
to the moonlight, hence it was called "moon blind." 
If such had been the cause it would have prevailed 
more generally, for all slept more or less in the open 
air. 

About half of a mile to our left the lines of the hos- 
tile armies came close together, and the artillerists 
and pickets were fighting day and night. At night 
the mortar shells were continually darting and flying 
through the air, and made a much grander display 
than some of our holiday fireworks. The shells often 
fell and exploded in the trenches, and in order to 
sleep securely the soldiers were compelled to dig 
caves and burrow in the ground, and for this reason, 



a pair of T5lmkm 



i 



all along the breastwork was a perfect honeycomb of 
dens, caves and earth covered chambers. 

The opposing pickets were near enough to con- 
verse with each other, though not permitted to show 
themselves above the pits on penalty of instant death. 
A private on one occasion was basking in the morn- 
ing sunshine with one foot exposed above the earth- 
work and when asked what he was doing, replied: 
"I'm only fishing for a furlough." A hat on a stick 
would soon be perforated with bullets. 

The Second Division of the Third Army Corps of 
the Army of Northern Virginia, under Major General 
William Mahone, made a brilliant record by its dash- 
ing achievements during the eventful campaign of 
1864. So frequent and rapid were its movements 
that the soldiers named it Mahone's Foot Cavalry 
Division. 

It was composed of one brigade from each of the 
states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and 
Virginia, and about this date commanded respectively 
by Brigadier Generals Forney, Finnegan, Girardy, 
Harris and Weisiger, the latter not yet promoted. 

The Confederate authorities appeared to be oblivi- 
ous to the merits and qualifications of our little com- 
mander as a military leader, probably from the fact 
that he had not graduated at West Point. 

Although he had acted as a Major General with 
great ability and success from May 6th, 1864, he was 
not promoted until July 30th, notwithstanding he was 
one of the oldest brigadiers in the Army of Northern 
Virginia. Yet late as it was, he soon won the admi- 
ration of the soldiers and the confidence of General 

146 



a pair of TBlmkm 



Lee, and it was generally conceded that the mantle of 
Stonewall Jackson had not unworthily fallen on the 
shoulders of Mahone. 

His foresight and dash were the great character- 
istics which gained for him the steady confidence of 
the soldiers he led in battle. 

I believe there is no better criterion by which to 
judge the merits of an officer than by the opinion of 
the men whom he leads in battle. 

They always admire those officers who display 
efficiency and courage, and entertain supreme con- 
tempt for cowards and blunderers. 



LETTER NO. 35. 
the battle of jerusalem plank road. 

My Dear Nephews: 

On the 22nd day of June, 1864, Mahone's and Wil- 
cox's Brigades were withdrawn from the earthworks 
and moved out to assault the Federals, who were 
extending their lines to their left. We marched 
across the open field in o*ur front through a deep 
ravine to a thick woods, which covered our move- 
ments and prevented the enemy from observing us. 

After reaching the woods, our column was faced to 
the left and formed in line of battle. Wilcox fol- 
lowing, formed on our left, and advanced in eschelon, 
some time after we were in motion. 

The order "forward" was given, and the men 

147 



a pair of 'Blanket? 



leaped a worm fence, which separated the farm from 
the woodland, and immediately struck the enemy's 
pickets. They fought in retreat very stubbornly, but 
we pressed forward as rapidly as possible through 
the undergrowth and bushes. 

During this advance I picked up a new spade and 
took it along, as our pioneer corps was very much 
in need of such instruments. Our regiment, about 
the colors or center, struck the enemy's newly-made 
earthworks, and by wheeling the right half of the 
regiment to the left, we were at once in their front 
and rear, fighting hand to hand with bayonets, butts 
of muskets, swords and pistols. And now my spade 
came into unusual use. I saw a man with his musket 
to his shoulder, who had not yet realized that we had 
surrounded them, aiming at one of our men over in 
front of his works. I ran up and struck him a hard 
blow on the side of his head, forcing him to drop his 
rifle and surrender unconditionally. Now Wilcox 
charged up and captured the breastworks on our left 
with four pieces of artillery. This pell-mell fighting 
lasted only a short time before the blue coats sur- 
rendered and our people were in charge of their ex- 
tended earthworks, facing on the reverse side. 

The manoeuvre was so secret and rapid that the 
Federals were almost completely surprised. They 
were caught enjoying their dinner, and we were just 
in time to share their hard tack, pork and beans, a 
rare treat for us. 

Ashwell Curling, the gallant file leader of Com- 
pany "A," 6 1 St Virginia, which regiment I com- 
manded, in the absence of our wounded colonel, was 

148 



a pair of IBIanfeets 



shot through the head and instantly killed, falling^ 
very near me, just as the right of the regiment was 
wheeling around the earthworks. 

John Wills of the i6th Virginia regiment, who was 
mortally wounded, offered Phillip Miller, one of our 
ambulance corps, twelve dollars in gold to take him 
off the field, but Phillip, true to his orders, told him 
it was his first duty to take off the wounded of his 
own regiment, after which he would return for him, 
but could not under any circumstances accept his 
money. Phillip, faithful to his promise, did return, 
but found poor Wills dead. 

After the works were captured, we reformed the 
regiment, and were advancing again, when one of our 
batteries, on the main line of our breastworks, opened 
fire upon us, compelling us to fall back to the cap- 
tured line. We then moved to the right flank to re- 
ceive the enemy, who seemed about to attempt to 
retake his line ; but he did not approach near enough 
for another hand to hand fight. 

About night we were moved back to the left and 
re-occupied the works we had first captured. The 
enemy opened on us with infantry and artillery fire, 
but could not dispossess us. 

The prisoners captured numbered 2200, more men 
than we had in the battle, 1500 small arms, ten stand 
of colors and a battery of four Blakely guns. On 
this field I secured a fine riding equipment from an 
officer's horse, which had been killed in the charge. 
The finely covered McClellan saddle served me 
through the war and was used many years after its 
end. 



249 



a Pait of iBlmkm 



General Grant in his report to Halleck, dated City 
Point, June 23rd, 1864, says: "Yesterday and this 
morning have been consumed in extending our lines 
to the left to envelop Petersburg. The second and 
sixth corps are now West of the Jerusalem Plank 
Road. Yesterday, in moving to this position, the 
two corps became separated. The enemy pushed be- 
tween them and caused some confusion in the left of 
the second corps, and captured four pieces of artil- 
lery. Order was soon restored and the enemy pushed 
back." But in his dispatch of June 24th, he says: 
"I find the affair of the 22nd was much worse than I 
had heretofore learned. Our losses (nearly all cap- 
tures) were not far from 2000 and four pieces of 
artillery. The affair was a stampede and surprise to 
both parties, and ought to have been turned in our 
favor." 

General Grant was evidently misinformed about 
pushing us back, for we were not pushed an inch, 
nor were we in any manner surprised; for we went 
out and made the attack, pushing them all the time 
until we captured their earthworks, and would have 
pushed them further, if our artillery had not by mis- 
take opened upon us on our flank and rear. General 
Warren of the Fifth Federal Corps reported that the 
"Second Corps had a bad fight. Got flanked and lost 
2300 prisoners and four cannon." 

Captain George F. McKnight, commanding the 
1 2th New York Independent Battery, said: "Four 
three-inch rifled guns, four ammunition chests, and 
three limbers lost." 

About ten o/clock at night after all our trophies had 

J50 



a Pait of isimkm 



been removed to our rear, we evacuated the position 
from which we had with ball and ba3/onets driven the 
enemy, and marched back to our place on the line of 
our fortifications. 

General William Mahone, in person, with two small 
brigades, directed this assault upon the enemy's 
works. 

The manoeuvre was brilliant and successful in every 
respect. The next day, June 23rd, the enemy made 
another demonstration and we had to march out again 
against him, and of this movement General A. P. Hill 
reported to General Lee that: "Mahone had better 
luck than I reported to you last night. After I had 
left him he caused Perry's little brigade to make a 
detour, and 600 prisoners, including twenty-eight 
officers, is the result. Mahone's men have been with- 
out sleep now two nights." 



LETTER NO. 36, 
the charge of the crater. 

My Dear Nephews: 

As the wild waves of time rush on our thoughts 
now and then run back over the rough billows to 
buried hopes and unfulfilled anticipations, and often 
we linger long and lovingly, as if standing beside the 
tomb of a cherished parent. Like this, the faithful 
follower of the Southern Cross recalls the proud hopes 
which sustained him on long and weary marches and 

151 



3 pair of IBlmkm 



in bloody battles. These foot-sore marches and hard 
contested fields are now bright jewels in his life, 
around which the tenderest cords of his heart are 
closely entwined. They are monuments to duty ! They 
are sacred resting places for his baffled energies ! They 
are rich mines from which the humblest actor gathers 
the wealth of an approving conscience ! He hears no 
peons from a grateful country — no national bounty 
rolls bear his name — ^yet his faithful military services 
to his buried nation are as sweet choristers ever chant- 
ing priceless praise for the zeal and manhood with 
which he faced his foe. The veteran of a hundred 
fields always points with greater pride to one victory 
as the crowning glory of the ninety and nine other 
battles. So, the soldiers of Mahone's Brigade look 
upon their victory at the "Crater." 

My little fly tent, which was a trophy of war, 
scarcely large enough for two persons to rest com- 
fortably, lying side by side, was stretched over a 
platform of rough boards, elevated about two feet from 
the ground, in that little grave yard on the Wilcox 
farm near Petersburg. 

I was quietly sleeping under this little shelter, 
dreaming perhaps of home and all its dear associa- 
tions (for only a soldier can fully appreciate these), 
y when a deep rumbling sound, that seemed to rend the 

very earth in twain, startled me from my sleep, and in 
an instant I beheld a mountain of curling smoke as- 
cending towards the heavens, on the left of our lines. 
The whole camp had been suddenly aroused, and all 
were wondering about the mysterious explosion. It 

'\ 152 



(f pair of 15lanfeet0 



was the morning of Saturday, the 30th day of July, 
1864. 

The long talked of mine had been sprung, a battery 
blown up, and the enemy was in possession of our 
earthworks for a distance on both sides, and there was 
no force of infantry between him and the city. Two 
hundred cannon roared with one accord, as if every 
lanyard had been pulled by the same hand. The gray 
fog was floating over the fields, and darkness covered 
the face of the earth, but the first bright streak of 
dawn was gently lifting the curtain of night. The 
fiery crests of the battlements shone out to our left 
and the nitrous vapors rose in huge billows from each 
line of battle, and sweeping together formed one vast 
range of gloom. 

The sun rose brilliantly, and the great artillery duel 
still raged in all its grandeur and fury. An occasional 
shell from a Blakely gun would swoop down in our 
camp and richochet down the line of breastworks to 
our right This unwelcome messenger made us hug 
closely the traverses for protection from the flank 
fire. Soon after, ''Captain" Tom Bernard, General 
Mahone's courier, came sweeping up on his white 
charger to brigade headquarters. Then the drums 
commenced rolling off the signals, which were fol- 
lowed by "fall in" and hurried roll calls. We were 
required to drive back the Federals, who were then 
holding our earthworks and within the very gates of 
the city of Petersburg. 

It was startling news! The men were ordered to 
fall back in scattered squads as if going to the spring 
in the corn field, so as to keep the enemy from noticing 

153 



a Pait of IBIanbeti! 



/ 



IV 



our withdrawal from the breastworks, which left them 
entirely unprotected. While we were forming in line 
in the corn field, General Lee and Colonel Taylor rode 
up. General Lee spoke with General Mahone, doubt- 
less giving him orders, and then rode off. 

Wright's Georgia Brigade, commanded by Lieut. 
Col. Hall, and our Virginia Brigade, which numbered 
scarcely 800 muskets, constituted the force detailed to 
dislodge the enemy, who held the broken lines with 
many thousands, and these were supported by many 
more, probably all told outnumbering the whole of 
Lee's army. I remember the 61 st regiment, which I 
commanded, did not exceed two hundred men, in- 
cluding officers and privates, and I am quite sure it 
was the strongest in the brigade. The odds were 
appalling! I suppose we had marched the half of a 
mile when we were halted in an apple orchard and the 
men ordered to strip off all luggage except ammuni- 
tion and rifles. A few of the sickly men were de- 
tailed to watch this luggage, and then we knew hot 
work was near. We then filed to the left a short 
distance to go to the banks of a small stream, called 
Lieutenant Run, down which we could march and be 
protected by the high bank from the batteries of the 
enemy. The hills along this stream were not more 
than four hundred yards from the advanced columns 
of the enemy and he was already making dispositions 
to capture these hills, for they were the very keys to 
the invested city. When nearly opposite the portion 
of our works held by the enemy, we met several sol- 
diers who were in the works at the time of the ex- 
plosion. Our men commenced "guying" them for 

154 



a pair cf ISlmkm 



running to the rear, when one said: ''Ah, boys, you 
have hot work ahead — they are 'niggers,' and show no 
quarter." 

General Mahone said he saw one running to the 
rear, and he asked him what was the matter, and with- 
out stopping his gait, he replied : "Hell is busted back 
thar." 

This report from the men passing us was the first 
intimation that we would have to fight negroes, and it 
seemed to infuse our little band with impetuous dar- 
ing as it pressed forward to the fray. I never felt 
more like fighting in my life. Our comrades had been 
slaughtered in a most inhuman and brutal manner, 
and black slaves were trampling over their mangled 
and bleeding forms. Revenge must have fired every 
heart and strung every arm with nerves of steel for 
the herculean task of blood. We filed up a ditch, 
which had been dug for safe ingress and egress to and 
from the earthworks until we reached the vale be- 
tween the elevation on which the captured breast- 
works were located, and the hills on the banks of the 
stream just mentioned — within two hundred yards of 
the enemy. In rear of the "Crater," nearer to us, 
there was a deep and wide ditch called the "Re- 
trenched Cavalier," dug to protect parties carrying 
rations and ammunition to our troops in the earth- 
w^orks. The embankment of the "Retrenched Ca- 
valier" was thrown up high enough to overlook the 
main line of earthworks, and between these two 
lines the garrisons had dug numerous caverns, pits 
and bombproofs for protection from the mortar shells 

155 



a pair of OBIanfecw 



i 



while sleeping at night. They were cave dwellers, as 
it were, for the time. 

The ''Crater" excavation was a tremendous hole, and 
the fortifications on both sides for some distance, to- 
gether with the ditch or "Retrenched Cavalier" were 
literally crammed with Federal troops, thousands upon 
thousands seemed to be there, and many banners were 
floating in the wind. I recollect counting seven flags 
in front of our regiment after we had deployed and 
were lying down in line of battle with fixed bayonets. 
As our men filed into this line of battle Mahone in 
person cautioned them to reserve their fire and not to 
shoot until they reached the brink of the ditch, and 
then after delivering one volley to use the bayonet. 

The line of our brigade was adjusted and lying 
down, and the Georgians were going up the ravine and 
deploying on our right when General Mahone, dis- 
covering that the Federals were jumping out of the 
''Retrenched Cavalier" and advancing in a desultory 
line, shouted to his aid, Capt. Girardy, "Tell Wei- 
segar to forward." Girardy rushed towards the 
right, where General Weisiger was, and with sword 
waiving above his head, repeated "Forward!" before 
he reached the right, and the whole brigade rose and 
charged as grandly as on drill parade. 

The enemy sent a storm of bullets into our ranks, 
and here and there a gallant fellow would fall, but the 
files closed up, still pressing onward, unwavering, into 
the jaws of death. 

General Weisiger was wounded in the charge and 
the command of the brigade devolved upon Col. 
George T. Rogers, of the sixth regiment. The orders 

156 



a pair of IBlankm 



of Mahone were obeyed almost to the very letter, the 
brink of'the "Retrenched Cavalier" was gained before 
a musket was discharged. The cry *'no quarter" 
greeted us ; the one volley responded, and the men, 
jumping in upon the enemy, plied the bayonet with 
such irresistible vigor as to give success in the short- 
est period of time possible. Men fell dead in heaps, 
and human gore ran in streams, which made the very- 
earth mire beneath the tread of our victorious sol- 
diers. The "Retrenched Cavalier" being ours, the 
men mounted the rugged embankment and hurled their 
foes from the front line up to the very mouth of the 
"Crater." 

In the meantime the Georgia Brigade had charged, 
but were repulsed; soon after reforming in columns 
of regiments, again charged, but it was met by such 
a withering fire of shell and shot, that it again re- 
coiled with heavy loss. 

Our bloody work was all done so quickly that I 
have scarcely an idea of the time it required to ac- 
complish it. Some said it was twenty minutes, but 
it must have been longer. 

Mahone's Brigade captured fifteen battle-flags, and 
our regiment owned five of the seven that before the 
charge I had counted in its front. 

You may ascertain how many men rallied to these 
captured flags that early morning by figures in the 
official reports published in the so-called "Rebellion 
Records." 

In that supreme moment, when exulting over a great 
victory, as our eyes fell upon the bleeding comrades 
around us, our hearts sickened within, for more than 

I5Z 



a pair of TSlanbetsf 



half of our numbers are scattered, dead, dying and 
wounded, around us. Oh ! the pity of war ! It takes 
the best! One hundred and seventeen was the dead 
list of our brigade, and their names are now inscribed 
on a marble tablet set in the inner walls of old Bland- 
ford Church, near where they died so gloriously. The 
wonderful triumph had been won at the price of the 
blood of the bravest and best and truest in our ranks. 
Old company "F" of Norfolk had carried in twelve 
men, all of whom were killed and wounded. The 
sixth regiment, to which it was attached, carried in 
98 men, and mustered for duty ten after the battle. 
The battalion of sharp-shooters went in with 80 men, 
and 16 were left for duty. Nearly half of our own 
regiment had fallen, and the 12th, i6th and 41st regi- 
ments had suffered in like proportion. 

During the charge, about fifty yards from the "Re- 
trenched cavalier," Captain John G. Wallace, of com- 
pany "C," 61 st Virginia regiment, was shot down with 
a broken thigh, but insistently refused to allow his men 
to take him from the field until the charge was over. 
I saw him lying on his back waiving his hat and heard 
him urging his men, "Go on, go forward!" It was 
splendid heroism ! 
J Lieut. St. Julien Wilson, of the same company, was 

mortally wounded, and died next day. He was a 
young officer, generally admired for his conduct on the 
field and manly. Christian virtues in life. 

First Lieut. John T. West, of my old company "A," 
encountered two burly negroes at the brink of the 
. ditch, and while parrying their bayonet thrusts with his 

^^ sword, was bayoneted in his shoulder by one of his 

158 



a pair of TBlanbcts 



own men, too eager to assist him. Lieut. West, after 
Capt. Wallace, my successor, was killed, was promoted 
to captain, in which capacity he acted until the end; 
and after the war was for many years superintendent 
of the public schools of Norfolk county. His brother, 
LeRoy M. West, was in the charge with his blanket 
roll around his shoulders, when a bullet penetrated it, 
went through his gray jacket and cut out a little piece 
of flesh, which felt like the burning of a hot iron. 
When he unrolled the blanket he discovered that the 
bullet had made twenty-two holes in it. Privates 
Henry J. Butt, Jeremiah Casteen and D. A. Williams, 
of the same company, were instantly killed. Private 
John Shepherd, a noble soldier of Company *'D," who 
followed me over the embankment of the "Retrenched 
Cavalier" to the front line of works, fell at my side, 
dead, just as he was stepping into the front trenches. 

Capt. W. Scott Sykes, of company "F," 41st Vir- 
ginia Regiment, was wounded in the shoulder while 
gallantly leading his company. Lieut. Col. Harry Wil- 
liamson, of the sixth regiment, lost his arm. Capt. 
David H. Wright, of company "H," same regiment, 
was instantly killed at the head of his company. He 
had been promoted from the ranks to captaincy for 
gallant and meritorious conduct on the battlefield. 

Judge C. W. Hill and John T. Hill, brothers, of 
Portsmouth, Va., belonging to the same regiment, were 
wounded almost at the same instant — the first through 
the left arm, which was afterwards amputated, and the 
latter through the wrist. 

Major William H. Etheredge, commanding the 41st 
regiment, displayed great bravery and wonderful cool- 



a pait of TSlmkm 



/ 



ness in this fight, although he was always brave in 
danger. As he jumped into the ''Retrenched Cava- 
lier," a Federal in the front line fired through the tra- 
verse and killed a soldier at his side. The Federal 
immediately dropped his empty musket and snatched 
another from a cowering comrade to shoot Major 
Etheridge. At this moment the Major, with most re- 
markable self-possession, caught up two Federal sol- 
diers who were crouching in the ditch, and held their 
heads together before him, swinging them to and fro 
to cover the aim of the musket, the Federal doing his 
best to get in his shot so as not to harm his comrades. 
The Major was a very athletic man, especially in his 
arms, so b}^ his strength and cool determination he 
saved his own life. Peter Gibbs, seeing the danger of 
his officer, rushed up and shot the Federal dead. Gibbs 
was a dashing and daring soldier, and it was reported 
that he on that day slew fourteen men. Captain W. W. 
Broadbent, the gallant commander of the sharp- 
shooters, was mercilessly murdered, his skull was 
broken in and almost every square inch of his body 
was perforated with bayonet stabs. He had charged 
up to the crest of the excavation, was pulled over into 
the hole and thus done to death. 

Although our principal task was over, yet more 
heavy work remained to be done by others before our 
lines could be fully re-established. Brigadier- 
General Bartlett, and five hundred or more men were 
cooped up in the "Crater" and their capture was the 
crowning event of the bloody drama. Our wounded 
were sent to the field hospital as soon as possible, and 
after piling the enemy's dead on each side of the 

1 60 



a pair of IBIanfeets 



trenches, to make a pass-way, our ranks were closed 
up in proper order behind the front line of breast- 
works. General Mahone came in to observe the situa- 
tion, and I went with him along the line to point out 
the conditions. He ordered us to keep up a sharp fire 
on the enemy's works in front, and also on the 
"Crater'* to our right to prevent Bartlett's escape, as 
our position commanded the track his force would have 
to follow to get back to the Federal lines. 

Mahone then went out to direct the charge of the 
Alabama Brigade. Soon after Captain George Clark, 
A. A. C, of the Alabama Brigade, came in to my 
position, and I explained to him the conditions as I 
had to Mahone a short time before. 

General Mahone ordered the Alabama Brigade to 
form for the charge on the line of the same location 
from which we charged in the morning, only moving 
as far to the right as possible so as to cover the front 
of the excavation. He called the officers together and 
gave them specific directions as to what they should do, 
and as they were leaving his presence said: "General 
Lee is watching the result of your charge." General 
Lee, General Beauregard and others observed the prog- 
ress of the battle from the Gee house across the Plank 
Road. The Alabamians made a grand charge under 
a terrible fire, reaching the crest of the "Crater" with- 
out faltering, and there a short, sharp struggle en- 
sued. They threw bayoneted muskets, clubs, clods of 
earth and cannon balls into the excavation, and Major 
Haskel sent his little mortar shells in upon the heads 
of the enemy to help in the assault. This novel war- 
fare lasted only a few minutes before Bartlett ordered 

i6i 



a pair of T5lmkm 



Up the white flag, and about five hundred prisoners 
were marched to our rear. The negroes among them 
were very much alarmed and vociferously implored for 
their lives. 

One old corn field chap exclaimed: "My God, I 
nebber pint'd a gun at a white man in my life; dem 
nasty, stinkin' Yankees fotch us here, and I didn't 
want to cum fus." 

The appearance of the rough, irregular "Crater" hole 
beggars description. It was at the time estimated that 
it contained 300 dead bodies. The importance of re- 
constructing this broken line of earthworks at once 
prevented the removal of the bodies; therefore, they 
were buried as they had fallen, in one great heap in 
the bottom. Spades were brought in, and the earth 
thrown from the sides of the excavation until they 
were covered a sufficient depth. By three o'clock in 
the afternoon all was over and we were settled in our 
works resting from active fighting, although the bul- 
lets still whistled over our heads. 

The extreme heat of that July sum had already 
caused putrefaction to set in and the bodies in our 
front and rear, and especially the blood soaked earth in 
the trenches, exhaled such a nauseating smell that I 
was forced to abandon my supper, although I had not 
tasted a morsel since the previous night. It was 
simply awful ! There were thousands of captured arms 
around us, and during the night some of our men 
would shoot ram- rods at the enemy just for the fun 
of hearing them whiz, whiz, seeeeee. One that was 
sent over drew from a Federal the exclamation : "Great 

162 



9 pair of IBlmkm 



God! Johnnie, you are throwing turkey spits and 
stringing us together over here ! Stop it !" 

Our position was in such close proximity to the 
enemy that the soldiers could talk to each other in 
loud tones, but no one could show his head above the 
earthworks without almost certain death. I picked 
up the Spenser rifle and the canteen shown in the pic- 
ture with my pair of blankets in the trenches about 
noon of this day. 

LETTER NO. 37. 

SCENES AFTER THE BATTLE. 

My Dear Nephews : 

Next morning was a bright and beautiful Sabbath, 
and nothing startling occurred; both armies were in 
the earth pits, but the guns of the pickets flashed over 
the banks, and not a solitary soldier could be seen 
within rifle range. 

Many hundreds of Federal dead were still on the 
field between the lines, putrefying under the scorching 
rays of the July sun. I saw a negro, with both legs 
blown off, drag himself with his hands to the outside of 
our earth works, and by sticking three muskets with 
bayonets in the ground and throwing a small piece of 
tent cloth over them, improvise a shelter to protect 
his head from the blistering sun. A pitiful scene! 
After a while in response to his pleadings some of our 
men managed to shove a cup of water to him. He 
eagerly swallowed it and then commenced foaming at 

163 



a mit oe 'Blanbetisi 



the mouth and died. He had lived with his terrible 
wounds nearly twenty-four hours, and death was re- 
lief from agony. 

A correspondent of one of the New York daily 
papers, writing a description of this battle from reports 
of wounded Federal officers, who arrived in Washing- 
ton, D. C, on the second of August, 1864, says: "Often 
have the Confederates won encomiums for valor, but 
never before did they fight with such uncontrollable 
desperation. It appeared as if our troops were at 
their mercy, standing helpless or running in terror 
and shot down like dogs. No such scenes have been 
witnessed in any battle of the war. The charge of the 
enemy against the negro troops was terrific. With 
fearful yells they rushed down against them. The 
negroes at once ran back, breaking through the line 
of white troops in the rear. Again and again their 
officers tried to rally them. Words and blows were 
useless. They were victims of an uncontrollable terror, 
and human agency could not stop them." 

On Monday morning a truce was granted and the 
Federals sent out details of men to bury their dead 
who had fallen between the lines or been thrown over 
to clear out our ditch. 

Before the flag of truce was recognized not a human 
being could be seen above the ground within cannon 
shot, but as soon as the officers of the opposing armies 
met under the white flag, men like magic sprung up 
out of the ground, numbering tens of thousands ; and 
the ramparts on both sides were lined with rows of 
men. 

They swarmed together like bees, mingling as neigh- 
164 



a Pait of iBlatibets 



bors and talking as sociably as life long friends. It 
was surely an impressive scene to witness two armies, 
which had been fighting to the death an hour before, 
spring out of the earth and come together in such a 
friendly manner over the burial of the dead. If these 
grim soldiers had been given authority doubtless peace 
would have been declared on that Monday morning. 

The spademen dug a long ditch about one hundred 
feet long and placed the dead bodies crosswise, sev- 
eral layers up. It was estimated that 300 white and 
black soldiers were put in and then the ditch filled. 
This long grave was just half way between the lines, 
and in filling it they rounded up a ridge, but General 
Mahone observing that this might be utilized as a 
breastwork for an advancing column, ordered it leveled 
even with the ground around, and this ended the tragic 
scenes in and around the "Crater." 

The following congratulatory orders from Lieut. 
General A. P. Hill and Major General William Ma- 
hone were promulgated soon after the battle : 

"Headquarters Third Army Corps, August 4, 1864. 
"General Order No. 17: 

"Anderson's Division, commanded by Brigadier 
General Mahone, so distinguished itself by its suc- 
cesses during the present campaign as to merit the spe- 
cial mention of the corps commander, and he tenders 
to the division, its officers and men his thanks for the 
gallantry displayed by them whether attacking or at- 
tacked. Thirty-one stands of colors, fifteen pieces of 
artillery, and four thousand prisoners are the proud 

165 



a pair of TBlmkm 



mementoes which signaHze its valor and entitle it to 
the admiration and gratitude of our country. 

"A. P. Hill." 

"Headquarters of Anderson's Division, 
August 6, 1864. 
''General Order No. — . 

"I. The glorious conduct of the three brigades of 
the division, Wilcox's, Mahone's and Wright's, and 
especially the first two employed on the 30th of July, 
in the expulsion of the enemy from his front, and the 
magnificent results achieved in the execution of the 
work, devolves upon the undersigned the ever pleasing 
office of rendering his thanks and congratulations. 
The immortalized Beauregard has praised you. Your 
corps and army commanders have expressed their 
gratitude for your invaluable services on this occasion 
and their admiration of the splendid manner in which 
your duty was approached and performed. The enemy 
had sprung his first mine in the new plan by which 
he now seeks to penetrate our lines ; he had gained pos- 
session of the Crater and of contiguous works; he 
had previously massed three corps and two divisions of 
another to prosecute his anticipated success, and he 
had now given the order for the advance of his 
crowded line, but fortunately for the "hour," you had 
made the ground. With the tread of veterans and the 
determination of men, you charged the works upon 
which he had planted his hated flag. 

"The integrity of the whole line was by your valor 
promptly re-established, and the enemy's grand effort 
to penetrate our rear signally defeated, and the results 

166 



a pair of TSlmkm 



achieved unparalled in the history of war, when com- 
pared to your strength and the losses you sustained. 

"With less than a force of three thousand men and 
a casualty of 498, you killed seven hundred of his peo- 
ple, and by his own account wounded 3,000. You 
captured i,ioi prisoners, embracing 87 officers, 17 
stands of colors, two guidons, 1,960 stands of small 
arms. These are the results of the noble work which 
you performed, and which entitles your banner-scroll 
of honorable deeds to the inscription: 

'The Crater, Petersburg, 30th July, 1864." 

"II. Wliile thus we have so much cause for con- 
gratulations and pleasure, let us never forget the 
memory of the noble spirits who fell in the glorious 
work, whose consummation we were spared to es- 
tablish and commemorate. 

"William Mahone^ 
"Brigadier General." 

On the second day of August, President Davis in- 
formed General Lee : "Have ordered the promotion of 
General Mahone to date from the day of his memorable 
service, 30th July.'' 

LETTER NO. 38. 

the battle of weldon railroad. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Around the beleaguered city of Petersburg affairs 
assumed their wonted routine after the battle of the 

167 



a pait of blankets 



Crater. The engineer corps still worked on counter 
mines, and Grant told his j>eople if the Confederates 
should penetrate under his lines not to intercept them, 
but have a strong second line of battle, in order that 
he might trap the charging force, if we should under- 
take a plan like Burnside. 

He did not care about his men being blown up, if 
he could slaughter more Confederates, than they could 
Federals, for brute force was his only hope of con- 
quering the South. 

The pickets, nearest the city where the lines were 
close, kept up a fierce contest day and night, allowing 
no one on either side to come in sight out of the 
ground, and during the early evening the mortar bat- 
teries continued to make their fire balls track the 
heavens, sparkling and flashing like a thousand daz- 
zling meteors darting through the skies. 

The troops which had won such praise from Rob- 
ert E. Lee for their grand charge on the Crater as, 
"Every man in it has to-day made himself a hero," 
were relieved on the following Wednesday from the 
position in the earthworks they regained from the 
enemy on that memorable occasion. 

Mahone's old brigade re-occupied its former posi- 
tion on Wilcox farm. This was out of range of shot 
and shell, except a long range Blakely gun which 
sometimes threw its missies along our works, having 
an enfilading range upon us. 

The pickets in our front oftentimes had friendly 
intercourse with the Federals, and swapped "backer" 
for "grub." A plug of good tobacco would bring a 
haversack loaded with good rations, and these traders 

i68 



a pait of 15Ianfeet0 



were so sly about it that it was hard to catch them 
on their "underground" trips. 

On the 1 6th of August our brigade relieved Harris' 
Mississippi brigade, at Battery No. 33, on our left, as 
Harris had been ordered to the north side of James 
river to meet an advance of the enemy, on the ex- 
treme left of the Army of Northern Virginia. 

General Grant, the commander-in-chief of the 
United States Army, having failed in an effort to turn 
or pierce our left, suddenly pushed Warren's corps 
forward on the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad. 
He very naturally supposing that General Lee had 
sent all the force he could spare from the south side 
of the Appomattox River to resist his eft'ort to get 
into Richmond by breaking through our extreme left. 
General Grant had already made one or two disas- 
trous efforts to get possession of the Petersburg and 
Weldon Railroad. 

General Warren struck the railroad about opposite 
the Gurley House, and then moved up to the Yellow 
Tavern, where he sat down and began to throw up 
fortifications, having there been confronted by two 
brigades of General Harry Heth's Division, which 
Lieut. Gen. A. P. Hill had hurried out to meet and 
to arrest the advance. The front thus formed by the 
two brigades of General Heth's Division was two 
miles in advance of the earthworks guarding Peters- 
burg. The Federal forces had only extended their 
lines a little south of the Jerusalem Plank Road. 
They undertook to extend them further, but were 
driven back by Mahone on the 22nd of June. 

There was then between this position of General 
169 



a pair of iSlmkm 



Warren on the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad, and 
the left of the main line of the Federal army a con- 
siderable distance, which it was not reasonable to 
suppose had been covered by anything more than a 
picket line. It was all woodland and thickly set with 
undergrowth. General Mahone with quick foresight 
at once comprehended the situation, and suggested 
to General A. P. Hill on the morning following Gen- 
eral Warren's lodgment on the railroad, that Warren 
could be easily surprised and dislodged by a bold 
dash upon his right flank. Three brigades of Ma- 
hone's division, the Mississippi, Florida and Georgia 
brigades, had not yet returned from the extreme left 
of our army, whither they had been sent to arrest the 
Federal attack on the flank before mentioned. This 
left only the Alabama and Virginia brigades in the 
trenches. Shortly after this suggestion was made by 
Mahone, Hill informed him that General Beauregard 
desired that he should attack Warren on the plan 
proposed, and that General Beauregard would send 
' him two brigades of Hoke's Division, which, with 

one of his own, that being all the available force, 
would constitute the attacking column. General Ma- 
hone strenuously urged more force, for it was plain 
/ to be seen that the success of the enterprise could not 

^ be pushed against such odds, to that completeness 

which lay open. It was known that General War- 
ren's whole corps was there certainly, and it turned 
out that a part of General Burnside's corps was also 
there. 

Three depleted brigades were hardly sufficient to 
take care of such a small army in itself, no matter 

170 



a pair of 15lmkzt$ 



at what disadvantage we should take them. But no 
larger force could be spared, so our daring comman- 
der, grappling the circumstances with his clear head 
and master mind, made the attack with Clingman's 
North Carolina and Colquitt's Georgia brigades of 
Hoke's division, and his own Virginia brigade, com- 
manded by General Weisiger. 

The column was formed just in rear of the earth- 
works, near division headquarters, out of the enemy's 
view, and then it moved up a deep ravine which ran 
across the open field in our front, thereby keeping out 
of sight until protected by the woodland. When in 
the woods we marched a short distance to the left of 
the enemy's rear line, confronting General Heth, held 
by Mott's division of Warren's corps, occupying two 
lines across the railroad, then we were thrown in line 
of battle and moved forward during a rain storm, 
which made marching through the bushes very dis- 
agreeable, but our soldiers pressed on, hastily gather- 
ing and eating ripe whortleberries, that were plen- 
tiful along the route. We rushed on the enemy's 
videtts, captured their cooking dinner of pork and 
beans, and passing beyond this picket line without 
returning their fire, the column was formed in battle 
array, Clingman and Colquitt in front with the Vir- 
ginia brigade in support. 

General Mahone being a fine civil engineer and 
perfectly acquainted with the country, well knew that 
we were now full in rear of the enemy's line, con- 
fronting General Heth, and on the flank of Mott's 
position at the Yellow Tavern, and that a line drawn 
perpendicular to the line of our attacking force at its 

171 



a pair of OBIanbets 



center would pass through the Federal headquarters 
at the old Tavern. 

Our line moved quickly and steadily to the front, 
and it was not long before it encountered a skirmish 
line, which the enemy had thrown back, manifestly 
out of precaution as a cover to his line confronting 
Heth. 

The firing which followed disclosed to Mott that 
we were in his rear, and soon his people were falling 
into the hands of Colquitt's and Clingman's brigades, 
until in fact, they were, with the exception of a small 
portion of Colquitt's left, overwhelmed with pris- 
oners, of whom 2250 were taken. 

Warren had now drawn his cannon out of their 
position and turned them upon us; and it was now 
that we had arrived at that point in the enterprise 
when its consummation was capable of completeness. 
So perfectly had been the surprise, that four brigades 
might possibly have done the work, certainly five 
would have effected it, but our Virginia Brigade was 
all that was left. This brigade pressed to the left 
front and boldly held the large force now confronting 
it, which was reinforced by two brigades of Burn- 
side's division, until Clingman and Colquitt could 
harvest all that could be gathered, and then retired. 

The Virginia brigade was in an exposed and most 
desperate situation. It was cut off from the other 
brigades and faced the enemy's fire on three sides, 
but held its ground with stubborn valor. It was in 
what seemed to be the 'last ditch." As soon as 
General Mahone learned the situation, he ordered 
the brigade to retire, which was promptly and orderly 

172 



a pair of OBIanfeetsi 



executed. The position was one of the most perilous 
the old brigade ever held during the war. 

During the battle Major Starke of A. P. Hill's 
staff was sent by General Mahone to ask Heth to ex- 
tend his left to a junction with him, and while on his 
way was captured by a squad of the enemy. Major 
Duncan of Mahone's staff, who happened to be on 
the same route, which was over the ground we had 
just passed, rallied a few of our stragglers, and cap- 
tured the whole party, thus releasing Major Starke. 

The capture of Colonel Wm. Ross Hartshorne, 
commanding a Pennsylvania brigade by Robert R. 
Henry, the gallant division courier, was a dashing 
feat worthy of record. 

General Mahone sent Henry to find General A. P. 
Hill and request him to direct General Heth to form 
a junction with him. Henry rode down a cart path, 
in the direction in which he supposed General Hill 
to be. 

The road ran through a dense thicket of under- 
growth, which was impossible to penetrate on horse- 
back, but he soon came to a large clearing, and there 
saw, not more than one hundred and fifty yards 
away, what seemed to be two batteries of artillery, 
supported by infantry with a train of ambulances. 
The artillerymen were whipping their horses and 
otherwise urging them to pull the guns through the 
mud, on the up-grade. 

Henry seeing that he would be captured if he at- 
tempted to cross their path, turned back to report the 
situation to his general. When he had gone back to 
a sharp turn in the path about one hundred yards 

173 



a pair of ISIanbew 



from the place he left General Mahone, he suddenly 
came upon a Federal officer and another mounted 
man. They seemed to be bewildered, evidently lost. 
The surprise was mutual, but Henry had the most 
nerve, and drawing his Remington revolver, de- 
manded their surrender, which they did without even 
attempting to draw their arms. 

Henry had recently captured the pistol at the 
*'Crater," and it was not in order to shoot, but an- 
swered the purpose on this occasion. He kept close 
behind his captives, shouting all the time to them to 
"go faster" until he got to a little clearing, where he 
found General Mahone. He reported the reason for 
his failure to find General Hill, and after disarming 
his prisoners, General Mahone directed him to take 
them to division headquarters, which he promptly 
executed, and soon returned mounted on General 
Hartshorne's horse. Henry was highly compli- 
mented by General Mahone for this action. He was 
a gallant young Virginian, enlisting as a school boy 
before he was sixteen years of age, and served 
through the war as a private, although richly merit- 
ing a commission by gallant conduct on the field of 
battle. 

He was detailed as division courier by Major 
General R. H. Anderson, after the battle of Freder- 
icksburg, and as such often put regiments and bri- 
gades into battles and withdrew them on the orders 
of the division commanders. 

He had a horse shot under him at Gettysburg, an- 
other at the Wilderness, one at Spottsylvania, and 
three around Petersburg, including the one captured 

174 



a pair of TBIanfeets 



from General Hartshorne, two of them being 
wounded twice. He, himself, was wounded several 
times and so severely at Burgess Mill on October 
27th, 1864, as to be unable to return to the service. 

Henry like many other boys was afraid the war 
would be over before they could get in it, but after- 
wards thought it would never be over, and peace 
seemed like a vision of glory as far away as the stars 
at night. 

Gen. Thomas L. Clingman was wounded while 
leading his gallant North Carolinians in the charge. 

General Lee in his report to the Secretary of War 
says: "General Hill attacked the enemy's fifth corps 
yesterday afternoon at Davis house, three miles from 
Petersburg on the Weldon Railroad. Defeated and 
captured 2700 prisoners, including one brigadier gen- 
eral and several field officers." 

Our sixty-first regiment was for some time sub- 
jected to a terrible flank fire from Burnside's troops, 
which occupied elevated ground, while we were lo- 
cated in a ravine below. Out of less than 200 rank 
and file seventy-seven were killed, wounded and 
missing. Although General Hill was commander of 
the corps, he entrusted the management of this affair 
to General Mahone, and this triumph over over- 
whelming odds was secured by Mahone's matchless 
management of his troops, confirming the fact that 
he was possessed of a mind with each and every 
quahfication of a dashing and successful leader. With 
the force of a division at his command no doubt he 
would have captured Warren and all of his people, 
and repossessed the Weldon Railroad. 

175 



3 pair of TBIanfeets 



This was but one of many occasions where a telling 
blow was not given for the want of a few brigades 
at the right time, and no one regretted more than 
Mahone the loss of this splendid opportunity, but he 
well appreciated that the troops under his command 
could do no more. 

LETTER NO. 39. 

WILLIAM CURTIS WALLACE. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Captain William Curtis Wallace of Company "A," 
61 st regiment, an efficient officer and noble man, re- 
ceived his death wounds in the battle of the Weldon 
Railroad. He was captured where he fell and re- 
moved by the enemy to the field hosnital and there 
died on the 22nd of August, 1864. 

Dr. W. N. White, the Federal surgeon in charge, 
wrote in a memorandum book, which the Doctor 
found in the wounded soldier's pocket, the following 
note: "Capt. Wallace was wounded August 19th in 
both legs — left limb in the knee — right limb much 
shattered. W^hen brought to the hospital was much 
prostrated by the shock. After administering stimu- 
lants, limb was amputated on the 20th. He com- 
menced sinking about twelve hours afterwards and 
died on the 22nd. In him I found the elements of 
true manhood and regretted his fate. I will forward 
his pocket-book and other effects, which may be 
valued as souvenirs by his friends." 

(signed) W. N. White, 
Surg. 1st Div. 9th Army Corps." 
176 



a Pair of IBlanfeets 



My schoolmate, my comrade, my friend, my kins- 
man, Captain Wallace, was buried near the battlefield 
in the Federal Cemetery near Petersburg. The 
pocket-book and other effects sent by Dr. White were 
gratefully received by his family. Dr. White's kind- 
ness of heart, as expressed in his note, cannot fail to 
draw feelings of gratitude from every friend of the 
noble young hero, whose memory is still enshrined 
in many bleeding hearts. 

Long after the war, I ascertained from the War 
Department the address of Dr. White and wrote 
asking him. for the particulars of my comrade's death. 
He promptly answered, saying : "The moment I saw 
him I was attracted towards him. He was fatally 
wounded, and all recognized the results, which he 
accepted with greatest calmness. The thoughts 
which seemed uppermost in his mind were, had he 
done his duty, and that he fell in a battle for right. 
He was very appreciative of all we tried to do for 
him, was wholly uncomplaining, and perfectly re- 
signed. As occasion permitted, I sat by him from 
time to time during that night and next day. He 
spoke very affectionately of his family, and took from 
his pocket the Bible that his mother had given him, 
and gave it to me with his personal effects, asking 
me to send them to his relatives within our lines. As 
he did so, he gave such a look of grateful confidence 
and assurance that I would do it that I could not have 
violated my promise to him, even in keeping it I had 
lost my right arm. 

I have always felt the effect for good of this occa- 
sion. Such an object lesson of devotion to one's con- 

177 



a mit of TBIanbcw 



viction of what is right, even to giving up one's life 
without a murmur or regret, is patriotism of the high- 
est order that can be conceived. No blood richer in 
all that makes a man noble ever mingled with the 
soil of Virginia than that of Captain William Curtis 
Wallace." 

What an eulogy ! Such a tribute from a foeman is 
like precious ointment to the soul of man. 

True, indeed, Wallace possessed all the elements 
of splendid manhood — brave, yet gentle and affec- 
tionate in disposition as a woman, and pure in heart 
as a Christian martyr: 

*'And such is human life, so gliding on. 
It glimmers like a meteor, and is gone." 

But a life so pure and spotless as this leaves a liv- 
ing light to guide eternal ages. 

Captain Wallace was born at "Glencoe" in Pleasant 
Grove Magisterial District of Norfolk County, Va., 
on the 23rd of March, 1842, and consequently was 
only a few months over twenty-two years of age when 
he fell. 

He graduated at Hampden-Sidney College at the 
age of 19 years, receiving the degree of A. B. He 
was awarded the senior orator's medal, and was dur- 
ing his last session one of the editors of the college 
magazine. 

While commanding a gun's crew in the casemate 
during the engagement between the ^'Virginia" and 
"Congress," he received a slight wound from the 
fragment of a shell which entered and exploded on 

178 



a pair of leianbew 



the breach of his cannon. Though engaged in nearly 
every battle of his regiment, he escaped with this 
exception until the fatal wounds of the 19th of Aug- 
ust, when he, one of the truest men who ever filled 
a soldier's grave, went down with two mortal 
wounds. 

Captain J. B. Riddick, a gallant soldier of the six- 
teenth regiment, was wounded in his side, and Lieut. 
J. Thompson Baird, a soldier as brave as a lion, lost 
his leg while leading the old company once so grandly 
led by the chivalrous Barraud. 

After the war Lieutenant Baird returned to his 
home in Portsmouth, Va., where his upright man- 
hood bound him close to the hearts of the people, who 
many times re-elected him to the chief magistry of 
the city, and he died in office with fidelity as high and 
true as his valorous conduct on the battlefield, which 
he sealed with his blood. 



LETTER NO. 40. 
reams station battle. 

My Dear Nephews: 

Although we were frequently on the move and our 
men constantly fighting on picket duty, we were not 
again in a pitched battle until the 25th of August. 

Hancock was a hard fighter and seemed to handle 
his men better than any other Federal general with 
whom we came in contact during the eventful cam- 

179 



9 Pait of 'ISlanbew 



paign of 1864, in fact I have regarded him as the best 
general officer among all who fought against us dur- 
ing the four years of war, and I think he had a higher 
conception of the usages of civilized warfare than any 
of their statesmen or generals, except McClellan, who 
ordered his army to observe them strictly. While 
Warren was fighting for the Weldon Railroad, Han- 
cock was on the north side of the James opposing 
Longstreet, but Grant ordered him to return on the 
2 1st of August to the lines before Petersburg, arriv- 
ing there he was hastened to his left in rear of the 
position occupied by Warren, where he arrived the 
same afternoon. 

The next day he engaged in destroying the rail- 
road. When our forces appeared on the scene, Han- 
cock concentrated his whole force behind breastworks 
at Reams Station. 

Gen. A. P. Hill made an assault upon these lines 
about two o'clock in the afternoon, the first unsuc- 
cessful, but the second assault carried Hancock's 
whole line. 

Cook's and MacRae's North Carolinians under 
General Heth, and Lane's North Carolina Brigade 
under General Connor, with Pegram's artillery, com- 
posed the assaulting column. 

Our Mahone's Old Brigade, arriving on the field 
as the second assault was going forward, were 
thrown in to support, assisting in driving and holding 
the captured works of the enemy. 

Hampton's cavalry with great gallantry carried 
one line of breastworks, contributing largely to the 
success of the day. 

180 



a pair of TSlmkm 



On our supporting charge, I halted several of my 
infantrymen to turn captured guns upon the retreat- 
ing enemy, but inexperienced with field artillery, the 
first shell took off the limb of a tree high over the 
heads of Hancock's fleeing soldiers ; however, the 
next shot had good range and we helped greatly in 
the closing fight. We were moved from left to right 
and put behind the railroad bank and desultory firing 
was kept up some time after dark. The fruits of this 
victory of the North Carolinians were 12 stands of 
colors, 9 pieces of artillery, 10 caisons, 2150 pris- 
oners, 3100 small arms and 22 horses. General Hill's 
loss in cavalry, artillery and infantry was 750. 

Hancock was very much disheartened by this sig- 
nal defeat, and his biographer says : "Hancock had 
seen his troops fail in their attempts to carry in- 
trenched positions of the enemy, but he had never 
before had the mortification of seeing them driven, 
and his lines and guns taken, as on this occasion ; and 
never before had he seen his men fail to respond to 
the utmost, when he called upon them, personally, for 
a supreme effort; nor had he ever before ridden to- 
ward an enemy, followed by a beggarly array of a 
few hundred stragglers, who had been gathered to- 
gether and pushed towards the enemy. He could 
no longer conceal from himself that his once mighty 
corps retained but the shadow of its former strength 
and vigor. * * * 'I do not care to die,' cried 
Hancock, 'but I pray God I may never leave this 
field.' The agony of that day never passed away 
from the proud soldier." 



181 



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'y 



LETTER NO. 41, 
the battle of burgess' mill. 

My Dear Nephews: 

The various contests between Lee's right wing 
and Grant's left lost to the latter four times as many 
men, but what mattered that to a general whose pol- 
icy was to destroy the life of the Confederacy by 
virtue of his overwhelming numbers without regard 
to loss of life on his side, for he knew he could sup- 
ply their places fourfold by recruiting from every 
nation of the globe, while the South had no more men 
to bear arms, and every one killed or made prisoner 
was an irretrievable loss. 

Although many of our men succumbed to the ter- 
rible strain of constant movements and fighting, the 
body of our troops stood up like the Roman legions, 
standing fast in faith, always acquitting like men, 
strong under all conditions. A Federal officer of a 
New Jersey regiment, describing a charge upon his 
regiment after a front line had been broken and ral- 
lied behind him, said: "An ominous silence ensued 
for a moment, when suddenly the dense woods in our 
front became alive with rebels, who came at double 
quick, shouting and yelling like so many fiends, firing 
as they advanced." * * * 'The spiteful buzz 
of the bullets, the shriek of the solid shot, and the 
fierce tearing whirr of the cannister were enough to 
terrify brave hearts and older heads," 

182 



a pair of TSlankm 



Then he goes on to tell how his regiment bore the 
shock and in turn charged the enemy. 

He said the rebels who made the charge were Don- 
novant's and Mahone's Brigades of rebel cavalry 
(dismounted). 

Mahone's men were infantry, but they had to move 
so often and rapidly that they called themselves Ma- 
hone's foot cavalry. 

A deserter from the 9th Florida regiment told the 
Federal General Sharpe, that he heard that some gen- 
eral told General Mahone that he could march his 
troops dov/n to Reams Station three times a day, and 
that Mahone replied that he thought he could; that 
he would try it anyway. This was probably a "grape 
vine" story of the camp, but it was true that we were 
constantly going back and forth to meet the advances 
of the enemy on our right, and nearly every day we 
were under fire. 

On the 27th of October, 1864, we were marched 
out to attack the enemy on the Boydton Plank Road, 
and General A. P. Hill reported to General Lee : 
"That the attack of General Heth on the Boydton 
Plank Road, mentioned in my dispatch last evening, 
was made by three brigades. General Mahone in 
front and Hampton in rear. Mahone captured 400 
prisoners, 3 stands of colors, and six pieces of artil- 
lery. The latter could not be brought off, the enemy 
having possession of the bridge. In the attack sub- 
sequently made by the enemy, General Mahone broke 
three lines of battle, and during the night the enemy 
retired from the Boydton Plank Road, leaving his 
wounded and more than 250 dead on the field." 

183 



a pair of TBIanbets 



This fight was rather disastrous to our regiment. 
We charged through a thick woods. I could see only 
a very short distance down our line, and in conse- 
quence of being forced to penetrate the thick under- 
growth, the men became much scattered. On reach- 
ing an open field, disordered groups charged on to a 
point probably midway the field, driving the enemy, 
then we were ordered to fall back on the woods line 
and reform. 

Here it took considerable time to rally the men, for 
many had been lost in the thick woods. A number 
had verged too much to the left and v/ere made pris- 
oners. However, we held the line, thanks to Wade 
Hampton, who made an attack on the rear in time to 
prevent the enemy from closing in upon us, as we 
were now between two of his columns. 

"Do you recollect, you and I charging the Yankees 
alone? We charged through the woods and drove 
the Yankees from a rail fence, and you and I coming 
out in the field ran ahead of our lines, thinking they 
were following, but our line stopped at the fence, and 
we found ourselves between two fires. I got behind 
a small persimmon tree and you remarked: *Tom, 
let's get out of this,' and we ran back to our line." 
So wrote Private T. O. C. Murphy from his far-off 
home in Arkansas last year a short time before his 
death. 

Before we got out of the woods a heavy rain storm 
came up and literally soaked us, and then marching 
through the bushes to the Plank Road made things 
worse. I was thoroughly chilled and had it not been 

184 



a pair of TBIattfeets 



for a drink from a captured canteen, I would have 
been forced to the hospital. 

Some of our best soldiers were killed; among 
them Captain John Hobday, one of the most valuable 
officers of the regiment. He fell in the field ahead 
of the line, as Murphy says we were. A num- 
ber of our men lost their way in the woods and were 
taken prisoners; so while the general battle was suc- 
cessful to the army, our regiment suffered from its 
unfortunate location in the advancing line of battle, 
because the men were ignorant of the surroundings 
and we had not been told of the direction of the 
enemy on our left. 

This movement of Grant was said to be for the 
purpose of bolstering up Lincoln's political prospects, 
hoping a victory, which could be heralded throughout 
the North, would fire the hearts of his supporters, but 
it did not materialize as he wished. 



LETTER NO. 42. 
fighting and fasting 

My Dear Nephews : 

Although generally our soldiers held to their faith 
like true Christians and uncomplainingly stood up 
under all conditions, some, not so long suffering, gave 
up and deserted to the enemy. General Lee ordered 
a special investigation to ascertain the cause of de- 
sertions in the face of the enemy, and his board con- 

185 



a pair of TSlmkm 



eluded that it was on account of hunger more than 
anything else. Men who had been good fighters be- 
came disheartened from constant marching and fight- 
ing without sufficient food to satisfy the cravings of 
hunger, and besides exposed to all kinds of weather, 
with scant clothes and little shelter, and foreseeing the 
ultimate result, threw down their arms and went over 
to the enemy. Many stout hearts quailed under these 
circumstances, which had never faltered before, and 
made the fatal, despairing leap, which carried them 
down to disgrace. 

It appeared to us all that death from starvation or 
bullets was only a short time before us. I felt that 
every move would bring my last fight, and I had no 
hope but of an honorable soldier's grave. After the 
Burgess Mill affair we marched back to the breast- 
works in front of Petersburg and resumed the rou- 
tine duties, which were arduous enough without the 
frequent calls to meet the movements of the enemy 
on our right. 

As the deserter told General Sharpe, Mahone's Di- 
vision was completely tired out in marching backward 
and forward on the railroad. 

On the night of October 30th, General Mahone sent 
out a detachment from the breastworks, which pene- 
trated the enemy's picket line and swept it for the 
half of a mile, capturing 230 men and officers, with- 
out the loss of a man. I have forgotten the name of 
the officer who commanded the detachment in this 
most remarkable coup de main. 

On November nth we were relieved from the 
y breastworks and sent to a position about half a mile 

\ 186 



/ 



a pair of ISlmkm 



from the Boydton Plank Road to put up winter 
quarters, where we were more convenient for arrest- 
ing the extension of the enemy's lines. 

On the 7th of December it was discovered that the 
enemy in heavy force was moving down the Jerusalem 
Plank Road. 

General Wade Hampton threw his cavalry forces 
across his path and General A. P. Hill moved his in- 
fantry force through Dinwiddie county towards Bel- 
field. 

The enemy proceeded slowly and did not appear be- 
fore Belfield until 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 
ninth, when he made a feeble assault upon the troops 
of Col. Garnett, which, with the assistance of two bat- 
teries, easily repulsed him. 

That night Generals Hill and Hampton made ar- 
rangements to attack the enemy early next morning. 

Our brigade had made a forced march from our 
camp on the Boydton Plank Road, and were bivou- 
acked in a church grove for the night of the ninth 
of December, 1864. Major Charles R. McAlpine and 
I pooled our blankets, and with an oil cloth under- 
neath and one over our blankets, my ''Cumberland 
blankets," with his, made our bed. We slept most 
delightfully, and were greatly astonished next morn- 
ing when we peeped out to find our covering rein- 
forced by about two inches of snow. 

After our men cooked and partook of the very 
scant rations, which the wagons had brought up that 
night, we were deployed in line of battle and moved 
forward to strike the enemy, but found him in full re- 
treat. A few scattering shots reached us and one 

187. 



a pair of TSlmkm 



bullet penetrated the haversack of my orderly, going 
through the loaf of bread which we had for dinner. 
Being unable to catch up with the flying enemy, we 
were marched back to our camp on the plank road. 

Col. Groner having now entirely recovered from the 
wound which he received on the morning of May 
I2th, at Spottsylvania, returned to the regiment for 
duty, about the middle of December, having been ab- 
sent on its account from that time except for a few 
days about the 19th of August, when he went in the 
fight on crutches, but finding the duties too arduous 
for his condition, was forced to return to the hospital. 

I commanded the regiment in all the battles, engage- 
ments and skirmishes from the 12th of May to the 14th 
of December, except the battle on the 19th of August, 
so in turning over the command of the regiment I 
issued the following order: 

"Headquarters 6ist Va. Inft.^ Dec. 14TH, 1864. 
"General Order No. 14: 

"As the lieutenant colonel is about to relinquish 
command, he desires to express to the officers and 
men his heartfelt thanks for the uniform courtesy and 
prompt observance of all orders. He congratulates 

7 you on the noble part you have taken in the brilliant 

f successes of the campaign. Besides participating in 

the capture of artillery, small arms and prisoners, eight 
battle flags are trophies of your prowess. Soldiers! 
These achievements have only been attained by a sad 
depletion in your ranks. Let the noble deeds of your 
fallen comrades and the oppressive slavery of your 

\ kinsmen stimulate you to renewed efforts in behalf of 

\ ^ 188 



a Jpait of IBlanfects; 



your afflicted country. Stand steady and firm by your 
tattered battle flag in the future as you have in the 
past, and soon an honorable peace with the independ- 
ence of your country will be a glorious reward. 

"William H. Stewart, 
"Lieut. Col. commanding." 

Alas ! for the anticipation expressed in this, my last 
order! Only a few months remained before all our 
fondest hopes were blasted in defeat at Appomattox. 



LETTER NO. 43. 



My Dear Nephews: 

On the fifth of February, 1865, the enemy moved in 
strong force to Hatcher's Run, not many miles from 
our camp. Part of his infantry, with Gregg's cavalry, 
crossed and proceeded on the Vaughn Road — the in- 
fantry to Cat-tail Creek, the cavalry to Dinwiddie 
Court House, where its advance encountered a portion 
of our cavalry. In the afternoon parts of Hill's and 
Gordon's corps demonstrated against the enemy on the 
left of Hatcher's Run, near Armstrong's Mill, but 
finding him entrenched, withdrew after dark. On the 
morning of the sixth Pegram's Division moved out 
from camp to reconnoitre, one brigade moving near 
the Run and the other further to the right, and along 
the Vaughn Road. In these positions the brigades 

189 



9 Pait of TBlmUm 



/ 



were vigorously attacked by both cavalry and infantry 
in heavy force. 

Gordon's Division, commanded by Brigadier General 
Qement R. Evans, sent forward in support, formed 
on Pegram's left, charged and drove the enemy before 
it, but was finally forced by superior numbers to re- 
tire. It was readily reformed near the enemy's lines, 
and again advanced with spirit, while Pegram charged 
on the right. The enemy was again driven back, but 
General Pegram, who was riding immediately with 
his troops, being killed, and Col. Hoffman, command- 
ing the brigade, severely wounded, a portion of the 
line was thrown in confusion. The battle was ob- 
stinately contested for several hours, when Mahone's 
Division arriving was put in position to fill a gap be- 
tween Evans and Pegram. 

The whole line advanced to the attack and drove 
the enemy in confusion to his works on the bank of 
the run. I distinctly remember as we formed in line 
of battle across a small farm patch, the enemy were 
driving Pegram's men pell-mell out of the woods, 
when we charged with a great yell and turned them 
to run like lightning through the woods for apparently 
a mile. 

General Finnegan was in command of the division, 
as Mahone was absent, sick. In the charge through 
the woods our ranks were broken by the undergrowth 
and trees, and the men were so much scattered, I went 
up to the general and suggested a halt to reform our 
line, which he did, and then we moved forward in 
closed order to see the enemy seek shelter in his earth- 
works. 



190 



a mit of TBlattbets 



The weather was terrible, and we had been march- 
ing and fighting all day without food. 

We were now drawn back to straighten and adjust, 
our line of battle, expecting an attack next day. 

The men hastily threw up scant breastworks, not 
breastworks for such are supposed to be high enough 
to kneel behind; these were scarcely high enough 
to lie down behind, and as night was fast approach- 
ing our men made brush shelters to protect themselves 
as much as possible from rain, snow, hail and sleet, 
but no fires could be allowed in such close proximity to 
the enemy. During the evening the cooks brought 
to the men in line of battle a small pone of bread each, 
the first morsel since early morning ; then these hungry 
soldiers wrapped their shivering frames in wet 
blankets and slept as best they could under the brush 
shelters on the frozen ground, while the pickets paced 
their beats in front to watch the enemy. 

The morning broke clear, with long icicles hanging 
from the tree limbs, which bent under the burden like 
weeping willows, and the cold north wind was chilling 
and terrible to withstand. After daylight the soldiers 
were permitted to cut the sapling trees and build log 
fires, for they were almost at the freezing point. The 
men, shivering over these feeble fires, stood up the 
whole day like martyrs waiting for the enemy's at- 
tack. There was no activity in front until late in the 
afternoon, when the enemy opened fire upon us with 
artillery. Four soldiers of company "A," 6ist Vir- 
ginia Regiment, Sergeant Cincinatus A. Nash, Captain 
John T. West, late Superintendent of Public Schools 
in Norfolk County, Privates James E. Fulford and 

191 



a pair of 15lmkm 



Abner G. Duncan, were standing in line behind one 
of these log fires. I suppose the enemy aimed at the 
smoke, as we were not in sight, when a shell came 
so near the head of the first that the wind knocked him 
down. Capt. West was severely wounded on the hip, 
the knee of Fulford was crushed and he fell forward 
in the fire, which severely burnt his hands and face 
before he could be pulled out, and he died from loss 
of blood on the litter before the bearers could reach 
the field hospital, and Duncan was seriously wounded 
on the ankle. Fulford had a thirty days' furlough in 
his pocket when he went in the battle. He was a 
volunteer for the war, and he volunteered to go into 
this battle, so he was a double Virginia volunteer sol- 
dier. And he fell, a hero of priceless fame ! 

These were times which tried men's souls and the 
most desperate days I ever experienced. General Lee 
tells the story of the sufferings of his men in a letter 
to the Secretary of War, dated February 8th, 1865, 
which you will find in Series i, volume 46, page 1,209, 
"Rebellion Records," published by the U. S. Govern- 
ment: "All the disposable force of the right wing of 
the army has been operating against the enemy beyond 
Hatcher's Run since Sunday. Yesterday, the most 
inclement day of the winter, they had to be retained in 
line of battle, having been in the same condition the 
two previous days and nights. I regret to be obliged 
to state that under these circumstances, heightened by 
assaults and fire of the enemy, some of the men have 
been without meat for three days, and all were suf- 
fering from reduced rations and scant clothing, ex- 
posed to battle, cold, hail and sleet. I have directed 

192 



a Ipait of IBlmkm 



Colonel Cole, chief commissary, who reports that he 
has not a pound of meat at his disposal, to visit Rich- 
mond and see if nothing can be done. If some change 
is not made and the commissary department reorgan- 
ized, I apprehend dire results. The physical strength 
of the men, if their courage survives, must fail under 
such treatment. Our cavalry has to be dispersed for 
want of forage. Fitz Lee's and Lomax's Divisions 
are scattered because supplies cannot be transported 
where their services are required. I had to bring 
William H. F. Lee's Division forty miles Sunday 
night to get him in position. Taking these facts, in 
connection with the paucity of our numbers, you must 
not be surprised if calamity befalls us." Thus our 
great commander most truly describes the desperate 
condition of his troops owing to the neglect or in- 
capacity of the commissary department. 

The Secretary of War, John C. Breckinridge, sent 
the communication to the president for his perusal, 
and Mr. Davis returned it with the following endorse- 
ment : "This is too sad to be patiently considered, and 
cannot have occurred without criminal neglect or 
gross incapacity. Let supplies be had by purchase, 
or borrowing or other possible mode." 

At the termination of this expedition we marched 
back to the tents, which we vacated to fight in the 
Hatcher's Run campaign. Notwithstanding General 
Lee's admonition to the authorities at Richmond, little 
meat came for our haversacks, but the fasting and 
fighting continued. We marched and fought on the 
right wing of the army until our brigade was only a 
skeleton both in its numbers and the physical condi- 

193 



a pair of OBlanbew 



tion of the soldiers. We were truly sick at heart from 
the fearful losses which had blood-stained the many 
fields of Dinwiddie County, but at last we were ordered 
to the line of earthworks, which had been occupied by 
Pickett's Division, between the Appomattox and James 
Rivers, to recuperate. 

I think it was about the seventh of March, 1865, we 
entered upon our duties on this line. There we in- 
habited holes and artificial caves which had been dug 
by Pickett's men to shield them from mortar shells 
while resting and sleeping, and we subsisted on one- 
fourth of a ration, devouring the occasional four 
ounces of fat pork raw, for fear of losing a drop of 
grease by cooking. Our condition here was almost 
Paradise compared with that on the south side of the 
Appomattox. 

Major Robert Stiles, in his admirable book, "Four 
Years Under Marse Robert," comparing the safe and 
easy position in which the Richmond Howitzers were 
placed from June 20th, 1864, to April 2d, 1865, with 
part taken by Mahone's Division on the right of our 
army, says : "We v/ere not responsible for being now, 
as it were, ^mustered out of service,' yet we could not 
repress a vague feeling that, somehow, we were not 
doing our full duty. Especially was this feeling in- 
tensified when, a few months later, Mahone's Divi- 
sion, which had been manning a very trying part of 
the Petersburg lines, was brought over between the 
Appomattox and the James to relieve Pickett's, which 
was sent north of the James. We thought we had 
before seen men with the marks of hard service upon 
them ; but the appearance of this division of Mahone's, 

194 



a pair of TBlmkm 



and particularly of Finnegan's Florida brigade, with 
which we happened to be most closely associated, made 
us realize, for the first time, what our comrades in 
the hottest Petersburg lines were undergoing. 

"We were shocked at the condition, the complexion, 
the expression of the men, and of the officers, too, 
even the field officers ; indeed, we could scarcely realize 
that the unwashed, uncombed, unfed and almost un- 
clad creatures we saw were officers of rank and 
reputation in the army. It was a great pleasure, too, 
to note these gallant fellows, looking up and coming 
out, under the vastly improved conditions in which 
they found themselves." 

I cannot allow unchallenged the "unwashed and 
uncombed" to apply to Mahone's brigade, although we 
were quite worn to a frazzle and looked forlorn, we 
certainly washed our faces and combed our hair every 
day when not actually fighting in line of battle; al- 
though our clothes were thin and our stomachs empty, 
we stood up to the end, and surrendered in closed 
ranks with loaded rifles at Appomattox. 

When time permitted and a stream of water was 
near, our soldiers would strip their shirts from their 
backs, wash them and wait for them to dry in the sun 
to put them on again, as they had no other in the 
wardrobe; then you may understand that fighting in 
the trenches down in the earth day and night made 
their clothes stiff with stains and dirt hard to remove. 

Hungry! Hungry! Hunger was the deepest de- 
privation in those last days of suffering and suspense. 



^95 



9 Paft: of TBlmkm 



LETTER NO. 44. 
our last victory and last march. 

My Dear Nephews: 

The Burmada Hundred lines were under fire from 
pickets and mortar shells day and night, but no assault 
was attempted by the enemy until April ist, when in 
order to ascertain if we still occupied the earthworks, 
he made an assault upon our picket lines, capturing 
some of the pickets, but did not follow it up after 
finding we were still there. 

The Army of Northern Virginia had been greatly 
reduced by the loss, wear and tear of the long cam- 
paign, and the lines stretched from below Richmond 
on the north side of the James River to Hatchers 
run, away beyond Petersburg on the south side of 
the Appomattox; all told, thirty miles and more. 
The line of battle along our position was as thin as 
a skirmish line. Our men were deployed in the 
breastworks fifteen feet apart. 

Grant had been preparing all winter for the spring 
campaign, and when April came he was ready with 
his embattled hosts to press the contest. He deter- 
mined to use the greatest number of troops possible 
against us, and "to hammer continuously" until by 
*'mere attrition," he would wear us out. 

The heroic struggles of Lee's troops on the south 
side was unavailing and his right wing was pierced 

196 -^ 



a pait of mankm 



and driven back towards the Appomattox, forcing the 
abandonment of the old lines he had so long defended 
with unparalleled fortitude, and the last march of his 
army was begun on a bright April day. 

About three o'clock in the morning of the third 
day of April, 1865, we were ordered to evacuate the 
earthworks and retreat towards Chesterfield Court 
House; there we halted to rest and then plodded on- 
ward we knew not where. I remember at one halt 
''the boys" searched a log crib on the edge of a field 
and captured a big rat. He was dressed and broiled 
for their breakfast. When we reached Amelia Court 
House, we were thrown in line of battle to meet 
Sheridan, but soon drove him off and resumed the 
retreat. 

Our soldiers, rationless, hungry and fatigued with 
marching day and night, pressed forward as rapidly 
as possible, but thousands fell along the route from 
physical exhaustion and were captured by the enemy. 

On the evening of the sixth of April, Mahone's 
division, being on the left wing of the army, moved 
by-way of the High Bridge, where we were formed 
in line of battle to protect it; an artillery duel fol- 
lowed and there we spent the night sleeping on our 
arms. The enemy that afternoon had captured and 
burnt our wagons and all my personal effects went 
up in smoke. I regretted most the loss of my diary 
and underclothes, for it left me with only those on 
my back. Early in the morning the soldiers marched 
across the bridge and the field officers forded the river 
below on their horses. I remember the men looked 
yery diminutive while walking over the railroad ties. 

I9Z 



a pair of TSlmkm 



y 



We set fire to the bridge, and a barn containing a 
number of hogsheads of tobacco, near the river, and 
moved on. The enemy pressed us so closely that the 
fire on the bridge was extinguished by him and I 
itnderstood that the Federal troops also crossed on the 
bridge. 

After marching a few hours we were halted at 
Cumberland Church and formed in line of battle 
across the highway. Our right connected with an- 
other line of our troops, which extended towards 
Farmville, and our left, entirely unprotected, rested 
on a ravine ; the church being a short distance in rear 
of the right of our regiment. It was my fortune to 
be assigned to the command of the division picket 
line, which was barely established before the hostile 
sharpshooters were advancing in our front, and the 
contest began, to continue hotly the livelong day. 

The men in the line of battle hastily threw up an 
earthwork with bayonets and bare hands, which af- 
forded scant protection from the duel that raged 
fiercely between the pickets. 

The enemy's sharpshooters with globe-sight rifles 
had secured positions in trees across the field and 
were sighting our men on the line with dangerous 
results until my pickets charged forward and drove 
them further away. 

The Rockbridge Artillery, Captain Archie Gra- 
ham, was posted on our line of battle at the public 
road and rendered most valuable service the day long. 

Robert E. Lee, Jr., son of Gen. Robert E. Lee, our 
commander-in-chief, was a private in this battery, 
which numbered among its privates many of the most 

198 



a pair of mmkm 



distinguished sons of the Old Dominion. The right 
wing of our army had been crushed, the centre was 
now being broken, and the left wing only remained 
to fight with hope of success ; and this day saw the 
last victory of the Army of Northern Virginia. In 
the afternoon my pickets on the left were forced back 
by a strong column of troops, which made a dashing 
charge to turn our left flank. The galling fire from 
my pickets impeded their charge, and their advance 
brigade halted for protection in a ravine only a short 
distance from the left flank of our crude earthworks. 
General Mahone, watching the movement, quickly 
sent me a regiment of Georgians from General "Tige" 
Anderson's brigade, and this held the enemy in check 
until the gallant Anderson with the rest of his bri- 
gade, swept around the left of our position, struck 
the enemy on his flank and captured, as reported at 
the time, a whole brigade with a stand of colors ; but 
this does not agree with the reports of the enemy, 
although they admit defeat. I know a number of 
prisoners were captured and marched on to Appo- 
mattox. 

The enemy, as we learn from their official reports, 
attributed the repulse "to the difficult nature of the 
ground" and *'to the greatly superior force of the 
enemy," but neither was true. It was due to the 
metal of our men and the splendid manoever directed 
by the dashing Mahone, and performed under his 
eyes. 

It was by striking the enemy at the right time in 
the right place; the enemy having the odds and the 
vantage ground, but did not see it. 

199 



a Pair of IBlanfeets 



^V 



As before said, Mahone was a fine civil engineer, 
and naturally his profession gave him advantage and 
knowledge in selecting the grounds for defense or 
attack, and with it he was quick to take in surround- 
ings and conditions ; he was also remarkably cool in 
times of excitement, which was another great trait 
for an officer in battle. 

Many were brave enough to go to the last ditch, 
but too excited to command or direct the movements 
of troops in battle. 

Mahone so often showed himself possessed of the 
necessary qualifications of a commander that he had 
the entire confidence of his men, and whenever he 
was away in time of battle they were always fearful 
of results, and although some may have hated him 
personally, they wanted him badly when the fight was 
going on. 

I remember on one occasion when General Finne- 
gan was in command, there were loud lamentations, 
but the brave old Irishman carried them through the 
charge like a master in war. 

Mahone was a strict disciplinarian in camp and 
on the march, and this was not at all times agreeable 
to the men in the ranks, although it is the real safety 
of the army. 

The muskets of the Army of Northern Virginia 
were generally without bayonets, and on a review 
you would see most of the brigades bayonetless, but 
when you noticed Mahone's brigade pass, every rifle 
held its keen, bright bayonet. 

If a man lost or should throw away one, he was 
punished and furnished with another. It was not 

200 



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often that bayonets were needed in battle, in conse- 
quence, there was a general aversity to lugging them 
on the march, and if not strictly watched, soon whole 
regiments would be without them. 

Now I have said we did not require bayonets often, 
but when we did, we wanted them badly. 

Not only at the "Crater," but on several other occa- 
sions, we might have been whipped but for Mahone's 
bayonet discipline. 

No official reports were made by the Confederate 
officers who commanded in this last victory of the 
Army of Northern Virginia, but it is reported by the 
Federal General Nelson A. Miles that: "April 7th 
at six a. m. marched from Sailor's Creek to Appo- 
mattox High Bridge. On our arrival at the point 
the skirmishers of the Second Division had crossed 
the river, but were being driven rapidly back toward 
the crossing by a heavy skirmish line of the enemy, 
which was advancing towards the river. I immedi- 
ately deployed a strong skirmish line along the bank 
of the river to keep back that of the enemy, and as 
soon as my artillery could get up directed it to be 
opened upon the enemy at once. The order was 
promptly obeyed, both the batteries (Captain Clark's 
and Captain Dakin's) going quickly into position, 
and delivering a well directed fire; the effect was 
visible immediately in the rapid falling back of the 
enemy. My division followed the Second across the 
river at about 9 a. m. and marched to a point near 
the intersection of the Farmville Plank and the old 
stage roads, where the enemy was found in position 
behind breastworks. My division was placed in 

201 



a pair of IBlmkm 



position under a severe fire of artillery from the 
enemy's works, the skirmish line being actively en- 
gaged. Careful observation induced the belief that 
v^^e were opposite the extreme left flank of the enemy, 
and an extended skirmish line was therefore swung 
forward and to the left with a view of enveloping it. 
At the same time my division was moved to the right 
by the flank as far as the main road referred to, and 
preparations made for an attack. The Third Division 
kept up the connection by following the movement. 
The skirmish line swung forward until it struck that 
of the enemy, when three regiments of the First Bri- 
gade (the Eighty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
Fifth New Hampshire and Second New York Artil- 
lery) were ordered to charge the left of the enemy's 
line. The charge was gallantly made, but was unsuc- 
cessful owing to the difficult nature of the ground, 
which was broken by numerous small and sharp 
ravines, over which the men were unable to move in 
order. While the regiments were falling back the 
enemy advanced over their works in pursuit, but 
were quickly driven back. A picket line was estab- 
lished, and the Second Division moved up and ex- 
tended my line to the right, and the command 
bivouacked." 

Col. Geo. W. Scott of the First Brigade, First Divi- 
sion, Second Corps, says: ''April 7, moved at day- 
light with the division, closely following the retreating 
enemy ; crossed the Appomattox at High Bridge, and, 
moving to the left of the railroad, passed to the north 
of Farmville, the Fifth New Hampshire being de- 
ployed as skirmishers and flankers. We struck the 

202 



a pair of iSIanfeets; 



enemy near Cumberland Church, driving in his out- 
post. The brigade formed Hne of battle connecting 
on the left of the Third Brigade. The 26th Michi- 
gan and 140th Pennsylvania Volunteers were then 
advanced to our right and front as skirmishers ; the 
5th New Hampshire Volunteers having expended 
most of their ammunition upon the skirmish line, 
were now relieved by the 61 st New York Volunteers. 
About 3 p. m. the remainder of the brigade, 8ist 
Pennsylvania Volunteers, Second New York Artil- 
lery, and six companies of the Fifth New Hampshire 
Volunteers were by direction of the general com- 
manding the division, moved to the right, and here 
made a most gallant charge upon the enemy's works ; 
but after repeated and persevering assaults, we were 
owing to the greatly superior force of the enemy, 
flanked and repulsed, my command at one time being 
within fifteen paces of the enemy's main works. In 
this charge w^e lost many brave officers and men 
killed and wounded, one color (Fifth N. H.), and a 
few men captured. The color was, however, recap- 
tured at the surrender of Lee's army, and is now 
again in the possession of the regiment." You will 
observe that General Miles attributes his defeat to 
the ''nature of the ground," and Colonel Scott to the 
"greatly superior force of the enemy." Neither state- 
ment is correct. The charging force of the enemy 
only drove in my pickets, but in doing so did get very 
near to the left of our line, and it was then that the 
Georgians charged them, captured the stand of colors 
and a number of prisoners. The enemy never at- 
tempted another advance that afternoon. The pris- 

203 



a pait of OBlanbew 



/ 



oners were marched to Appomattox under guard and 
the color of the New Hampshire Regiment was not 
recaptured, but was given up as other military prop- 
erty not excluded by the terms of surrender. 

Lieut. Col. W. A. Crafts, commanding the Fifth 
New Hampshire, said: "The colors advanced to 
within a very short distance of the enemy's works. 
The enemy throwing out a strong force upon their 
flank, the colors, with 52 men and 5 officers, were 
captured. During the day no men and 10 officers 
were lost." 

Capt. F. R. Humphreys, commanding the Second 
New York Artillery, reported: "April 7 continued 
the advance ; passed through Farmville ; crossed the 
Danville Railroad at High Bridge, met the enemy 
entrenched in a double line of works. At about 3 
p. m. charged with the brigade, and met with a re- 
pulse, resulting in the loss of 6 killed, 6y wounded 
and 74 missing. Lay in rear of the battlefield all 
night. April 8, passed through the enemy's works, 
they having quietly left during the night." 

Major C. W. Shafer, commanding the 61 st New 
York Infantry, reported that he lost in this affair two 
enlisted men killed and 24 wounded. 

Capt. W. A. F. Stockton, commanding the 140th 
Pennsylvania Regiment Volunteers, reported: "One 
commissioned officer and three enlisted men killed, 
and one officer and 26 enlisted men taken prisoners." 

Capt. L. H. Ives, commanding the 26th Michigan 
Volunteers, reported: "Five men killed and eight 
wounded, one officer and twelve enlisted men cap- 
tured." 



204 



a pair of IBIanfeets 



General A. A. Humphreys, commanding the Sec- 
ond (Handcock's) Corps of Grant's army, reported: 
"Here he (Barlow) overtook the rear of the enemy 
just as they had fired the wagon road bridge and as 
the second span of the railroad bridge was burning. 
The wagon road bridge was secured — a matter of 
some importance, as the Appomattox was not ford- 
able. A considerable force of the enemy was drawn 
up in a strong position on the heights of the opposite 
banks to oppose our passage, a position the strength 
of which the redoubts on the opposite side increased. 
Their skirmishers attempted to hold the bridge, but 
were quickly driven from it, and the troops crossed 
over, General Barlow's Division leading. Artillery 
was rapidly put in position to cover our attack, but 
the enemy moved off without waiting for it. The 
redoubt forming the bridge-head on the south bank 
was blown up as we approached and eight pieces of 
artillery in it, abandoned to us, as were ten pieces of 
artillery on the north side. High Bridge was saved, 
chiefly by the exertions of Colonel Livermore, of 
my staff, with the loss of four spans." * * * 
"An attack was then made from Miles' right with 
three regiments of the first brigade, but without suc- 
cess and with considerable loss." 

I have quoted these reports of our enemy to show 
you how well our men stood up under the greatest 
difficulties, winning a victory while negotiations for 
the surrender of the army were going on. 

After the brilliant feat of the glorious Georgians 
my picket line was soon re-established, but not with- 
out the sacrifice of some of our bravest men. During 

205 



a l^air of TSlmUts 



< 



\ 



the fight on the left, in which I was absorbed, my 
picket line on the right was broken, and I was forced 
to walk along the line of our works, not breastworks, 
for they were only high enough to protect the men 
lying flat, the half of a mile, fully exposed to the 
enemy's sharpshooters armed with globe-sight rifles. 
At every step a shot would whiz by my head or strike 
near my feet, still I marched erect, appearing brave, 
but scared you may know. That was the longest half 
mile I ever travelled, and I never expected to reach 
the end, but I was spared and secured the detail to 
re-establish my line on the right, so my pickets were 
lined up for the remainder of the day. 

Conspicuously gallant in this battle was a hand- 
some young artilleryman, not out of his teens, who, 
when not engaged with his cannon, would borrow 
the rifles of the infantrymen, stand up while others 
were lying down protected by the earthworks, and 
with deliberate aim fire at his man, regardless of the 
continuous shower of bullets to which he was sub- 
jected. Finally he was shot down, desperately 
wounded, and borne off the field to the residence of 
Mr. Hodgsden, which was converted into a field hos- 
pital. 

Subsequently Adjutant Grifiin F. Edwards, a youth 
of twenty, of our 6ist Virginia Volunteers, while gal- 
lantly rallying his detail of men to recover the lost 
picket line in front of his regiment, was also severely 
wounded. 

After dark he was taken to the field hospital. The 
yard was strewn with the wounded and dead; the 

206 



a paft of mmkm 



kitchen, the out houses and even the stables were full 
of bleeding men. 

There was one vacant place in the parlor of the old 
mansion where a blanket was spread for Adjutant 
Edwards. The soldier nearest happened to be the 
brave artillery boy, who had been shot down while 
acting as volunteer infantryman, as before stated, 
and he appeared to be in the agonies of death. Al- 
though severely wounded, the chivalrous Edwards 
ministered to him in every way in his power; and as 
he gave him a drink of water from his canteen, the 
boy whispered: "My name is Minor." 

For three days these wounded companions re- 
mained side by side without surgeons or nurses. 
Then the captured v/ounded warriors were separated 
and heard nothing of each other until about thirty 
years afterwards, when Adjutant Edwards learned 
that his hospital comrade, Launcelot Minor, was a 
prominent lawyer in Newport, Arkansas. 

When Private Minor recovered consciousness, he 
found a note pinned inside of his shirt, requesting 
that in case he died, that some one would give him a 
decent burial, and a five dollar gold coin was enclosed 
in the note to pay expenses. He kept the gold as a 
souvenir, but never discovered from whom it came. 

Private William Mason of our regiment was the 
only one of our 6ist killed in this affair, and the pity 
that one of our staunchest and bravest men should 
have lost his life in this our last battle. 

The shadows of evening found our weary and 
starving soldiers in full possession of the battlefield 
of Cumberland Church, and rejoicing over their last 

207 



a pair of 'Blankm 



} 



victory. The only rations which could be issued on 
this retreat were a few ears of corn to each soldier, 
but these men were of pure metal, which yielded 
neither to danger nor hunger. Soon after dark the 
troops were withdrawn from the line of battle, and 
proceeded on the march towards Appomattox, where 
Mahone returned the silken trophy, which was so gal- 
lantly won by the Georgians at Cumberland Church, 
to his released prisoners. 

I was left with my pickets to cover the retreat, 
with orders to withdraw them from the line at three 
o'clock in the morning, and follow the army. The 
long hours of darkness with dreadful anxiety 
dragged heavily on my mind, while my ever watchful 
pickets experienced with me the unpleasant anticipa- 
tion of being killed or captured. I determined to 
make good our escape, if possible, and on the hour 
and minute, we quietly withdrew from the field of 
our last victory. 

About eight o'clock next morning we overtook the 
army, and though desperately tired, rejoiced with a 
*'reber' yell over our escape from capture, for which 
we received the congratulations of General Mahone, 
for he had no idea that we would escape the clutches 
of the enemy. 

That night of the eighth of April our brigade slept 
in line of battle on the brow of a hill facing to the 
rear, and next morning at the break of day we moved 
on, arriving at Appomattox before sunrise. The 
command was thrown in line fronting the rear, and 
the men commenced tearing down a rail fence to make 
breastworks, but were soon called to the ranks and 

208 



a pair of blankets 



moved forward, crossing a bridge over a creek' and 
when near the celebrated apple tree under which Gen- 
eral Lee did not surrender, we were countermarched 
to the first position, where we learned definitely that 
all was over with our country. 

I have told the story of the surrender in "The 
Spirit of the South," and will only say here that after 
securing my parole, which the colonel was authorized 
to issue by the terms of surrender, I got a piece of 
that apple tree under which General Lee stood before 
he went forv/ard to meet General Grant, also a piece 
of General Lee's headquarters flag, and mounting my 
horse with equipments and the "one roll of blankets," 
noted on my parole, which contained the "pair" 
which came from the "Cumberland," rode to my 
father's home in Norfolk County, Virginia. I did 
not go far with the log from the apple tree before I 
found it too heavy to carry and threw it away by 
the road side. 

My orderly was a good natured Irishman, who had 
no home to which he could go after the surrender, 
so he decided to go with me as "help" on the farm. 
I had only one mount and it was necessary for Pat 
to have an animal to go along with our cavalcade of 
eight or ten. I rode across the field to a place where 
the Federal quartennasters had packed their wagons 
and the teams were grazing around. Among them I 
saw a small Yankee mule, which seemed to need an 
owner, so I captured him and led him over to our 
bivouac for Pat to ride. The mule was so diminu- 
tive that Paf s feet were not far from the ground 
when astride. 

209 



a pair of IBIanfeetg 



However, the mule was young and in good condi- 
tion and trotted off nimbly enough to keep up with 
our party on the homeward march. 

The Federal Commissary at Farmville furnished 
us with rations enough for two days. 

Not far from Petersburg we ran into a corps of 
Federal soldiers bivouacked on both sides of the road, 
and the woods and fields were blue with them. 

There had been a heavy rain the day before, and 
their wagons had cut up the roadway so as to make 
it almost impassable. We felt a little curious riding 
through this great host of men in blue, but none 
seemed to notice us until the little mule plunged into 
a deep mud hole, and Pat was forced to dismount to 
get him out. You may know, those ten thousand 
Yankees shouted and roared with laughter. The 
scene was most ludicrous. They cried out: "Oh, 
Johnnie, put him in your haversack." "Take him 
out in your arms." "He's too little to ride," etc. 
Pat was not "set back," but led his mule out of the 
mud and mounted again and jogged along with us 
until we reached the old homestead. 

My "Pair of Blankets" served me for more than 
twenty-five years after the close of hostilities, and 
then worn thin, as you see in the picture, I put them 
in a glass case as a souvenir. 

When I got to my father's home I fared from his 
farmer's table, which I called sumptuous, and every 
night dreamed, dreamed the war over and over 
again, fought in my dreams every important battle 
in which I had been engaged, experiencing all the 
fear, dread and excitement of the real fight, with the 

210 



a Pait of IBlanbets 



roar of cannon, sizzing of minie balls and the ago- 
nizing cries of the dying soldiers sounding in my 
ears. 

When I finished dreaming over all my war expe- 
riences my appetite settled to the normal of the 
human being in peaceful pursuits. 



LETTER NO. 45- 
love of lee. 

My Dear Nephews: 

The pathway of honor is so plainly pictured by 
General Lee in a letter to his son that I must quote 
it for your edification: 

Arlington House, April 5, 1852. 
"My Dear Son: I am just in the act of leaving 
home for New Mexico. My fine old regiment has 
been ordered to that distant region, and I must hasten 
to see that they are properly taken care of. I have 
but little to add in reply to your letters of March 26, 
27 and 28. Your letters breathe a true spirit of 
frankness; they have given myself and your mother 
great pleasure. You must study to be frank with the 
world ; frankness is the child of honesty and courage. 
Say what you mean to do on every occasion, and 
take it for granted you mean to do right. If a friend 
asks a favor, you should grant it, if it is reasonable ; 
if not, tell him plainly why you cannot. You will 

211 



9 patt of TBlrnkm 



^ 



wrong him and wrong yourself by equivocation of 
any kind. Never do a wrong thing to make a friend 
or keep one; the man who requires you to do so is 
dearly purchased at a sacrifice. Deal kindly but 
firmly with all your classmates; you will find it the 
policy which wears best. Above all, do not appear 
to others what you are not. If you have any fault 
to find with any one, tell him, not others, of what you 
complain; there is no more dangerous experiment 
than that of undertaking to be one thing before a 
man's face and another behind his back. We should 
live, act and say nothing to the injury of any one. 
It is not only the best as a matter of principle, but it 
is the path to peace and honor. 

"In regard to duty, let me, in conclusion to this 
hasty letter, inform you that nearly a hundred years 
ago there was a day of remarkable gloom and dark- 
ness — still known as the dark day — a day when the 
light of the sun was slowly extinguished, as if by an 
eclipse. The Legislature of Connecticut was in ses- 
sion, and as its members saw the unexpected and un- 
accountable darkness coming on they shared in the 
general awe and terror. It was supposed by many 
that the last day — ^the day of judgment — had come. 
Some one in the consternation of the hour moved an 
adjournment. Then there arose an old Puritan leg- 
islator, Davenport, of Stamford, who said that if the 
last day had come he desired to be found at his place 
doing his duty, and, therefore, moved that candles 
be brought in so that the House could proceed with 
its duty. There was quietness in that man's mind — 
%e quietness of heavenly wisdom — an inflexible will- 

212 



a pair of IBlmkm 



ingness to obey present duty. Duty, then, is the sub- 
limest word in our language. Do your duty in all 
things like the old Puritan. You cannot do more; 
you should never wish to do less. Never let me and 
your mother wear one gray hair for any lack of duty 
on your part. Your affectionate father, 

R. E. Lee. 

"To G. W. Custis Lee." 

The father who prescribed such rules of conduct 
for his son, afterwards became the leader of the 
Southern armies and the father of a people who love 
his virtues and honor his name. 

In concluding my story you may desire me to tell 
you something about General Robert E. Lee besides 
the general way in which I have already presented 
him. 

I have described to you characters in the lower 
grades of military rank with most attractive virtues 
and superb courage. General Lee in many respects 
may be likened unto them or they unto him ; but none 
with high rank possessed the mysterious essence 
which made all men love, admire and fear. 

If there is love at first sight, to look at him was 
to love him, and the ever shining halo, which forced 
that Yankee girl on the soil of Pennsylvania to drop 
her waving flag to clap her hands and "wish he was 
ours," was the thing which bound your heart — his 
quiet dignity of manner caused reverent fear as in 
the presence of a mighty man — his benevolent and 
benign expression made you his friend. 

I never saw him too often, perhaps because I 
thought we were safest when he was near, and that 

213 



a pair of IBlatibets 



he knew how to manage us in the presence of the 
enemy with the least possible loss. 

A new recruit, when the Yankees were hotly shell- 
ing his company, exclaimed: "They will murder us 
all; for God's sake. Captain, go ask General Lee to 
take us out of this or we will all be killed." General 
Lee had our love and confidence — he held our faith 
in bonds so strong that no adversity could shake it. 

During the siege of Petersburg I sometimes rode 
into the city to see my friends, and one afternoon I 
went to call on a friend, who was a refugee from our 
tide-water land and was introduced to Miss Lee, a 
cousin or niece of the commander-in-chief of the 
army. I was enjoying the company of these delight- 
ful ladies when it was announced that General Lee 
had reined his horse up to the gate. "Oh, General 
Lee is at the gate !" they exclaimed. I can't tell you 
how I felt, but you may have heard of the "poor boy 
at the fashionable frolic ;" well I expect I felt like the 
"poor boy," only more so. It was so unexpected 
that a strange feeling came over me not unHke the 
fright of going into battle. It was surely an embar- 
rassing ordeal to have such a distinguished personage 
as the commander-in-chief of the Army of Northern 
Virginia ushered thus unexpectedly into my pres- 
ence. 

Although his salutation and greeting with a hearty 
handshake was assuring, I could not feel free to talk 
with him like other folks. He conversed with the 
ladies in a chatty manner and laughed in the enjoy- 
ment of the conversation. I nerved myself to put in 
an occasional word; but I could not entirely rid my- 



a pair of ISlmkm 



self of nervousness and soon conceived an excuse to 
retire. 

I was mad with myself, because I could not bravely 
enjoy this opportunity of seeing more of my com- 
mander, but I am proud to be able to tell you that I 
have twice grasped the hand of the greatest general 
of the English speaking people of the nineteenth cen- 
tury, or I would rather say of any people of any 
century. The whole appearance of the man made 
you feel like Jackson, that you could follow him 
blindfolded. 

General Lee was a soldier of splendid physique, 
and sat upon his horse like a knight of chivalry — he 
wore an imperial air with the grace of a lord, which 
inspired his soldiers with the greatest pride, especially 
when the Pennsylvanians looked upon him with awe, 
while riding along their highways. 

His loving language gave greatest pleasure, and 
his glorious expression of satisfaction for the conduct 
of his troops burned in their hearts an everlasting 
love. 

I first remember seeing him galloping over the hills 
under the smoke of the thundering guns, followed 
by his staff, directing his army at Fredericksburg 
against Bumside. I saw him at Chancellorsville on 
the first day of May, 1863, near the Tabernacle with 
Jackson, and heard him direct the forward move- 
ment. I saw him the second day riding along our 
line and heard him inquire about the sound of Jack- 
son's guns, then roaring in Hooker's rear. I saw 
him on the third day in the midst of his victorious 
troops around Hooker's headquarters, when the air 

215 



a pair of 15lmkm 



was thick with smoke and the heavens resounded with 
the "rebel" yells of his victorious soldiers. I saw 
him at the head of his army — proud of its might — 
when marching on the land of the enemy north of 
the Potomac, and listened to his orders on dress 
parade, directing scrupulous regard for private prop- 
erty and protection for unarmed citizens. I saw him 
on the streets of Chambersburg, when its citizens 
were looking upon him as a lion in their midst. I 
saw him riding along the line of his troops on Semi- 
nary Ridge at Gettysburg, when the artillery was 
thundering and the air was thick with the fragments 
of broken bomb shells, which forced the men to hug 
the ground and made the squirrels desert their hol- 
lows and scamper in a wild panic on the limbs of the 
oaks overhead. I sat upon my horse at the head of 
my regiment and saw him review his army at 
Orange — heard the great "rebel" yells as he rode 
down the line and the loud acclaim of his proud vet- 
erans when they passed the reviewing post. I saw 
him in the "Wilderness." I saw him at Spottsylvania 
near the bloody angle, when I trembled for his safety. 
I saw him often during the "all summer line" and 
under the siege of Petersburg. I saw him giving 
orders to Mahone as we were about to march on the 
"Crater." I do not remember seeing him on the re- 
treat from Petersburg, but I stood in line to hear the 
adjutant read his farewell order and saw him ride 
away from Appomattox on his. way to Richmond. I 
last saw him not long before his death in Portsmouth, 
Va., passing from the cars to the ferry on a visit to 
his Norfolk friends. 

2l6 



a pair of TBIanbets 



A great crowd was there to greet him and I had 
only a parting glance. Every time I saw him my 
faiti strengthened and my love increased. You 
should be proud of him, for his life is the most valu- 
able asset in all the history of America. 



THE END. 



'21^1 



P RD- 



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